One farmer’s quiet determination to provide for his family stood out in a story published by The Fiji Times on July 1, 1999.
Aporosa Niutabua, then 47, was a caretaker farmer in Delaivuna, Taveuni, living and working on land that did not belong to him.
Yet the 300 acres he tended had become his own in spirit after three years of hard labour from sunrise to sunset.
Life in Delaivuna was defined by farming. Along the dusty inland roads, villagers toiled daily, planting and harvesting dalo and yaqona to earn a living.
For Aporosa, the crops provided stability. He said dalo and yaqona fetched good returns, with a tonne of dalo earning up to $1200, depending on the harvest.
Despite his youthful appearance, the toll of years of work was evident in the tiredness behind his smile.
While life on the island was generally good, Aporosa planned to leave the area after becoming a repeated target of thieves who raided his plantation at night — a problem he said affected many farmers in Taveuni.
Aporosa’s hopes were simple: to buy a bigger home for his wife and three children, and perhaps a truck to ease the burden of farm work.
He believed his progress came from faith, saying that belief in Christ had helped him succeed in providing for his family.
