Turning to agriculture as a source of income and survival has worked quiet well for two single mothers in the Western Division.
While some may not consider large scale cane farming for an independent woman, these ladies have found success and have even purchased insurance to protect their livelihoods this year.
Premila Devi has owned and operated her sugarcane farm in Lautoka since the passing of her husband and harvests over 600 tonnes of cane in a year.
Her biggest struggle with this has been natural disasters, which she has now purchased insurance for through FijiCare.
“Naviago area is a low-lying area, flooding area, so many times the flooding damages our cane here,” Devi said. “From November to April, we’re struggling for that. We can’t work in that area where the water is.”
“I was happy to see we aren’t running here and there to go get that money, it was just on M-PAiSA,” she said of a pay-out she received for the recent excessive rainfall experienced throughout the Western Division.
A fellow woman canefarmer in Veisaru, Ba had a similar experience.
Jojiana Kula purchased her 9-acre sugarcane farm from her aunt last year and has also purchased the same insurance policy, developed by the United Nations Capital Development Fund.
“It is well-known that Ba is a flooding area,” Kula said. “About 50 percent of the cane was ruined by flooding due to the heavy downpour that we just experienced.”
“I’m thankful and grateful. I managed to use my pay-out for my grocery shopping to get through and to pay my labourers for their work in the farm,” she said of the $250 pay-out she received through MyCash.
“I would very much be looking forward to renewing my policy every year and I advise all farmers and all small businesses out there to take an interest in this initiative.”
