SINCE February this year, Preetika Naidu has been working within FSC’s Field Extension Services Department. She is stationed at Tavua’s Drumasi sector as a field assistant. In a male-dominated work environment and industry, Ms Naidu seems unfazed and takes it all in her stride.
She grew up on a sugarcane farm in Tagitagi, Tavua.
“I have always loved the outdoors and as a little girl, I could never see myself doing anything else apart from farming,” Ms Naidu said.
Youngest of three children, Ms Naidu lives with her mum in Ba while her two elder siblings live in Lautoka. After her secondary school education, she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture at the Fiji National University.
She said, “At high school, I really started to build a keen interest in agriculture!”
So it was only natural that she progressed towards this goal at tertiary level.
And today, she is one of the pioneering women who work in the agricultural section of the sugar industry.
In her current role, she carries out a lot of administrative tasks for the Drumasi sector office. Additionally, she offers a lot of support to the field co-ordinator and team leader Drumasi Sector.
“I provide sector support to up to thirty growers a week, and now that the crushing season is near, the grower queries are increasing,” Ms Naidu said.
