Imphal, April 10: Tagged as Manipur's "flower bowl", Mao is gearing up to attract people with its home-grown species to strengthen the economy of the inhabitants of this Assembly constituency.

Senapati district's Mao, which shares borders with Nagaland, is locally well known for its exotic flowers.

Till now, Mao flowers find a market in Imphal and Kohima only. The growers are aiming to attract buyers from around the country and even from abroad. With this objective in mind, Mao Flower Growers' Association, along with Senapati district administration and state horticulture and soil conservation, organised a three-day flower show at Pfukhro village, near Mao gate, 109km from Imphal.

Governor S. Shanmuganathan inaugurated the festival yesterday, raising the hope of full support from the state to the growers in their endeavour. "The objective of the flower show is to let the world know that beautiful flowers are grown here at Mao. We hope after the festival, people will know about Mao and its flowers and give the economy of the growers a boost," S. Kazichew, the convener of the organising committee, said.

For the residents of Mao, growing flower is a kind of cottage industry. Every house has a garden at the courtyard or backyard. The small Mao town sells the flowers and this is how the flower growers earn money easily.

"This is my daughter's garden. She is participating in the flower show. Every house here grows flowers and earn money," the head of Song Song village, A. Kaikho, told The Telegraph, showing his daughter's garden at the backyard of their house.

S. Nisha, a stall owner, said she earned at least Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 daily by growing flowers. There are others who earn more. Katia, another flower grower from the same village, said her home-grown flowers had fetched Rs 2 to Rs 3 lakh annually. "Till now we find a market only in Imphal and Kohima. If more people come from across the country we can earn much more," Katia said.

Mao is not only famous for its flowers but also known for fruits and vegetables. The organisers described Mao as a land of flowers, fruits and vegetables.

This is the second flower show at Mao and the number of participants and visitors increased this year. Flower growers from Kohima and Ukhrul district are also participating in the show. The organisers plan to make it bigger next year.

The flower growers' association is also hoping to develop the area as a tourist destination.