Tokaibai Has No Regrets On Getting into Dairy
Retired senior education officer, Meli Tokaibai, does not mind that there are no days off or vacations for the dairy farmer.
Mr Tokaibai, 73, into his 16th year of retirement switched to dairy farming three years ago. He now lives on his farm at Lutunamana, Vunibau in Serua.
He had bought the 10-acre land 40 years ago while he was head teacher at Deuba District School.
For 20 years he fenced the boundary, paid his annual lease and regularly cleared the fences.
After that he got a farmhand by the name of Vili (he was from Lau) to look after his property. Vili looked after his plantation, pig sty (a sow, boar and piglets’) and on a small scale milked the cows.
He started planting root crops; this did not eventuate as a profitable venture as he could not find a market.
“I was advised by my neighbour (Veremo Seru) to get into dairy farming and I tell you one thing I have not regretted a minute of it,” Mr Tokaibai said.
“Every child yearns to have milk for breakfast and this business fulfills that,” he said.
“Milk is important for children in their growing into strong and healthy citizens of our country. “I work for three hours in the morning and the rest of the day I attend to other chores.
“I work according to my own pace and I love it.”
Mr Tokaibai has a stock of 33 cows of which 14 are milking cows.
“At the moment I am hand milking six cows and I get 20 to 25 litres of milk a day,” he said.
“If there are more of us then Fiji should be able to have sufficient milk supply for all Fijians.”
His can of milk is picked up after 9am every morning.
He is a member of the Fiji Cooperative Dairy Company Limited (FCDCL). His milk is bought by Grace Road Food Company.
He advises civil servants to plan well ahead of retirement. Mr Tokaibai was a primary school teacher by profession after which for more than 15 years he was a senior education officer with the Ministry of Education.
Initially he attended Navuso Agriculture School in Tailevu at the age of 19 years to acquire his Navuso Certificate equivalent to the Fiji Junior Certificate; a qualification that had him one salary bar better than those completing school. He then attended Nasinu Teachers College for two years to qualify as a primary school teacher. In his final year in 1968 he was president of the Student Teachers’ Council.
His day at Lutunamana starts at 7am rounding up his cows to the milking shed. In less than two hours his cows are milked.
He sends his cows and calves to a new field before washing the equipment and shed.
karalaini.waqanidrola@ fijisun.com.fj