Widow still cuts cane at 75
At 75-years-old, registered cane grower Laite Samoli is as resilient as ever. Every year since 2000 she has had to overcome a major problem – the burning of her cane fields.
Yet she replants for the next season after the harvesting of burnt cane.
She’s even given up trying to find who is responsible for the anual occurence.
This year though, she managed to harvest around 160 tonnes with a mechanical harvester before her canefield was targeted in a suspected arson attack.
“I have reported the matter to police,” she said.
Mrs Samoli was born in Sabeto
in 1945 and after attending Sabeto District School, she went on to attend the former Cuvu Mission Girls School in Sigatoka. She married Kitione Vukinano in 1969 after which the couple settled at Naiwaicoba, Sigatoka.
Moving
In 2000, the couple moved to Sabeto with their four children after land was returned to her family under the Alienated Land and Tenants Act. Ms Samoli took charge of the cane farm, after registering herself as a grower with the Sugar Industry Tribunal. Shetook over from where the former tenant had left the farm. Ms Samoli owns close to 35 acres of land.
“In the early 2000, I was averaging around 300 tonnes annually from the farm with the highest in one season being 317 tonnes,” she said
Last year, she managed only 89 tonnes - but that has improved this year.
“I have never given up although my cane was burnt every year before harvesting,” Mrs Samoli said.
“I will continue until the end. “I have come to love cane farming.
“Although I used to work in the fields myself with planting and spreading fertiliser, I don’t do that now as my children have told me to rest.
“I plant a lot of cassava and dalo and used to sell it.
“Now I keep it for family use, because of these hard times we are going through.”