On the foothills of the eminent farming community of Yalava Settlement in Nadrala, Nadroga, lies the vegetable farm of Henry John – a young farming enthusiast with over 10 years experience in cash crop farming.
Continuing the farming legacy of his late grandfather, the 32-year-old tries to keep his family farm afloat during this tough pandemic time.
Quickly trying to get his cash crops sold off to a few middlemen on a Thursday afternoon is a common sight at John’s home.
Middlemen trying to fill their trucks with vegetables for the market and trying to fight off the dust from the Kavanagasau dirt road was the sight that greeted us when we visited John’s (as his commonly known) farm.
Mondays and Thursdays are the busiest for John, as middlemen crowd his farm gate waiting for supplies of freshly picked vegetables.
John who hails from Naigani Village in Batiki, Lomaiviti closely monitors the crops as they are loaded on the trucks, making sure every vegetable sack and crates are accounted for before the day ends.
Sitting on the front porch of their home was his two beautiful daughters who watched attentively as their father tries to complete his business affairs before he could sit down together with them to have a meal.
John said ever since his grandfather passed away he had taken over the farm operations.
“We use to be sugarcane farmers before but when the old Sigatoka bridge was damaged our sugarcane supply dropped and we looked into other alternatives such as cash crops,” he said.
“Cash crop is easy and quite productive in regards to how it can bring in revenue for the family and how well it grows. It is better because we earn something every week.”
He said switching to a different crop was a big decision for his late grandfather. “We had to do it in order for the farm to continue operations,” he said.
During the pandemic, the business was slightly affected too.
“Business was affected in terms of supplies to hotels when Covid-19 hit Fiji but consumptions for locals always keeps us afloat,” he said.
“I always sell to the middlemen who then sell to the Lautoka, Suva and Sigatoka market.
“I don’t go out to look for the market because most middlemen come to buy goods straight at my doorstep, which is good for any farmer here in Sigatoka.”
From chillies, tomatoes, eggplants, pumpkins, cabbage, cassava, corn, papaya, kumala (sweet potato), John makes sure that his business partners are supplied with good quality vegetables on time.
John has also invested in cattle, hoping to get more livestock in the future.
“I hope to get more cattle, pigs and chicken to assist with the business, especially during a flood,” he said.
He said flooding is often a barrier to the growth of his farm.
“When it floods or when there is a hurricane, my crops get damaged so I invest on eggplants and bongo chillies to help sustain my business during a disaster,” he said.
“These two crops and papaya are two-year crops compared to the others which are three months crops that require replanting.
“Papaya can be damaged during a cyclone but eggplants and bongo chillies can survive, so they act as my foundation crop during the hard times.”
He said the money he earns financially supports his family. He was able to build a house, buy a car and save for rainy days because of the farm.
“Being a farmer has its advantages. For example, during this COVID-19 period, people lost their jobs and many had to find alternative work,” he said.
“As a farmer, our produce might be bought at a low price but people still bought vegetables and money was still coming in.
“People eat every day and so food demand needs to be met daily and that is where we come in.”
John can earn more than $1000 in a day from selling a variety of vegetables.
He says young people should look into cash crop farming because it is an eye opener for them in terms of how they earn better in the future.
