The seeds of hard labour can take a while to cultivate.
But when they bear fruits, the benefits are often immense.
That is exactly what Filimoni Tikomaibulu has learnt in his life.
The Gau islander from Lomaiviti has worked his way through a number of professions – ones that have left calluses on his hands and weathered his skin.
Yet, even as he bears the sweltering heat or cold rain to sell fruits by the roadside, he keeps his family in mind, as his motivation to earn an honest living.
A resident of Moto in Ba, the 35-year-old is often a common fixture along Princes Road, where he sells coconuts and pineapples to weary travelers.
“I come (to Suva from Ba) every Sunday and I return when all my produce is sold,” the father-of-four says.
“My eldest child is in class six. The younger one is in class four, another in class one and the youngest has not started school.
“In Ba, my family and I live in a farmhouse on one of the cane farms where I work. In my free time, I come and sell in Suva.”
Yet, this is not the only profession he holds.
In fact, Mr Tikomaibulu also cuts cane for a living.
Prior to this, he worked for Fulton Hogan Highways and Higgins Fiji.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he lost his job and turned to cane cutting.
He soon discovered it was a back-breaking job.
“We wake up early in the morning to go to the farm and if you cut 1000 cane, you’ll have to load that 1000 cane onto the lorry yourself.
“Our pay also depends on the number of lorries we load. If crushing is slow at the mill, our pay won’t be much, and we are also paid fortnightly.
“Sometimes, if you cut a certain number of cane but you fail to load them onto the lorry yourself, you will not be paid for that load. It doesn’t matter if you cut it.”
Now, he wants to try out small business entrepreneurship and has already started selling fruits.
“I’ve been thinking that this year would be my last year of cutting cane. I’m just trying to save enough money to buy a glass display case and get a license so that I can start my own fruit selling business. The idea of starting his own business dawned on him as he considered his children’s future.
“I’m doing all these so I can support my family financially and pay for my children’s education. I want them to end up somewhere good.”
On a good week, he earns up to $200.
He keeps $30 for himself.
The prospective income he earns also allows him to put food on the table.
From now until the time he is able to start his business, Mr Tikomaibulu says he will “continue to work hard for the sake of the family”.
