Living proof Being a farmer is not an easy task but through hard work and perseverance, one can overcome the obstacles in life. This is what 55-year-old Alivereti Nabulivou of Nadakuni Village in Naitasiri believes with all his heart as he is a living testimony of hard work and determination. This meticulous father-of-four was a participant at the Viria, Muainaweni and Waimaro Ginger farmers meeting organised recently by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Integrated Human Resource Development Program (IHRDP) in Muainaweni, Naitasiri. He was born and raised for a few years in Waidina, Naitasiri before moving to the US to further his studies as a medical practitioner. It was tough growing up with so many expectations but I struggled on because I wanted to try out something new, he said. He finally reached tertiary level where he pursued his degree in medical studies back in 2012. Over the years, he found out from relatives in Fiji about a new project introduced into the province and it was open to anyone interested in marketing dalo and ginger. From that time I decided to switch from academic studies to farming, said Nabulivou. He took on the challenges to start his farm called the Nabulivou Farm and put his mind and soul into whatever needed to be done. Nabulivou has always been intrigued with nature. I learnt a lot of new things through farming, from cultivating the land to harvesting and selling. I have also reaped the benefit of it and I enjoyed every minute of it. I plant ginger and dalo on my farm and this is mainly for food security with the surplus being sold. Last year he sold five tonnes of ginger worth $5000 and one tonne of dalo valued at $1000 to Frespac Ginger (Fiji) Limited for export. In terms of financing my farm operation, I use money earned from my farm together with IHRDP assistance, for example agro inputs like fertiliser and manure. I use machines and also hire labourers to cultivate the land and for harvesting of the crop. Nabulivous contribution to the community is creating employment and food supply. Regarding further developments on the farm, he said there was a definite need to increase the production in years to come. Nabulivou is among the 71 farmers of the Viria, Muainaweni and Waimaro Ginger project who participated in the IHRDP. Government has realised the potential of farmers in agriculture and is committed to ensuring the empowerment of ginger and dalo farming. The manager for the IHRDP, Marika Naiyaga, said the Ministry of Strategic Planning National Development and Statistics looked after the program which funded the Viria, Muainaweni and Waimaro project from 2012. The Ministry of Agriculture is one of IHRDP projects key partner in terms of giving technical skills. Apart from that, other government ministries also contribute in terms of policy making, emotional and intelligence aspects, he said. * Maria Laqeta is a staff member at the Ministry of Agricultures Information and Communication section.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Feb 2014 22:39:37 +0000
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