1987 Coup Affected Family Receives Assistance
ALabasa family is fortunate to be assisted by the European Union after still struggling to survive from the 1987 coup. Amuk Prasad at Qalewaqa received poultry manure, assorted seeds, sylon shade and an irrigation system through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency Fiji Vakarau Wai Fiji pro-resilence project yesterday.
The handing over was done by the Ambassador and Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation for the Pacific, Sujiro Seam.
Mr Prasad said after being evicted from his sugarcane farm at Tovata during the coup, he had to move to Qalewaqa.
“Since then my wife and I have been doing vegetable farming on a quarter acre land,” Mr Prasad said. “We walk down to nearby villages to sell vegetables and sometimes sell from home.”
The 70-year-old father of five, who had never been to school, said he was thankful to receive the assistance during this pandemic.
“Many people are doing backyard gardening and so our business has been down,” he said.
“With the assistance provided, we can expand our farm by planting more Chinese cabbage, English cabbage, tomato, long bean, butter beans, raddish and eggplants.
“If the landowners during that time had given me the opportunity to continue sugarcane farming then perhaps things would have been different for my family.” However, he said life must go on. Mr Seam advised Mr Prasad to keep continuing with the good work and make good use of the assistance provided.