Tobacco is a crop that has never let Nishar Khan down, in good times and bad times it stood by him. It was his family’s main source of livelihood when he was growing up in Bemana, Navosa.
Today, even as he enters his twilight years, Khan continues to support his family by engaging in the suki trade. But things were not always rosy along the way.
There are many things that come to mind when Khan thinks of his tough childhood. One of them is walking long distances daily to reach Bemana Catholic Junior Secondary School.
The road was rugged, but in his mind he knew he needed an education in order to find a job “My dad was a suki farmer,” Khan said.
“He also grew corn and peanuts so life was tough.”
The 52-year-old said back in the day, growing veggies was not an option where he lived. While crops grew well on rich soil of the Sigatoka River delta, finding a market to sell was a barrier many farmers faced. To make matters worse, there were no proper bridge and roads.
“Hoping for a better future, my parents sent me to school and live with relatives in Nadi after I did Year 10,” he said. He finished his schooling after he attended Year 12 at Nadi Muslim College. With a bit of education, one of his first jobs was to work as salesperson.
“I used to only get paid $35 to $40 a week. That was not good enough, but it gave me a means to at least put food on the table.
“Since everyone in the family was back home in Bemana it was a struggle to adjust to the fast life in the Sugar City.
“Then my dad got sick and since I was the eldest son, the responsibilities of looking after the family fell squarely on my shoulders.” From 1980 to 1991, he was based at the Lautoka Municipal Market selling suki supplied from Bemana.
“After a few years my father stabilised a bit and started sending me dried suki which I sold at the market,” Khan said.
“Then my mom joined me in 1990 and the following year, my dad and brother also came to live in Lautoka.”
The family decided that it was best for Khan to look for work “outside” to supplement the family’s earnings while his dad took over suki sales at the market.
“After struggling with odd jobs my neighbour Suken Prasad, who later became my mentor, offered me a job of as construction labourer.”
Khan progressed from a labourer and ultimately became a foreman when he left the trade in 2019, after spending 15 years in carpentry. He said working at various island resorts was a huge learning experience for him.
“I wanted to spend more time with my family after those years of travelling to the outer islands so I resigned and started taking private carpentry jobs.”
That did not work out well. Tragedy struck when he suffered a heart attack a few years ago. He was only, 49, and was laid out from work. Ultimately, when he hit rock bottom, he ended up selling suki again at the market.
“I am now also selling suki from my stall and it feels like life for me has gone back to where I started,” he said.
“I started off in Bemana where my father farmed tobacco. Now I am selling suki grown in Bemana, my birthplace. And I’m loving it!
