Farm helps Ragini
WOMEN in the village who farm their land make a decent and respectable living.
Miriama Ragini, 51, of Waibasaga Village in Naitasiri is one such woman making the most of the land she has been blessed with.
Her husband and six children help her on the farm, which is the only source of income for the family.
They grow a variety of crops and vegetables and sell their fresh produce at the Suva Market.
Ms Ragini said other women who were blessed with the land in the village could also become successful by farming.
“Women in the village who have land, just have to work hard to grow their produce,” Ms Ragini says.
“I tell you, there is a lot of money in farming. If you are lazy and don’t utilise your farm, then it’s no use having a farm.”
Ms Ragini said people who left their village farms in favour of life in cities and towns had to struggle.
“I think it’s good that you stay in the village and work hard for a better living, rather than staying in a squatter settlement in urban areas.
“Some of us are lucky to have a farm, so make use of it.
“You’ll get fresh vegetables and crops for your family and at the same time earn good money by selling the produce.”
Ms Ragini said she had been teaching the same to her six children.
“It is very important to teach all this to our children who are in the village. We have to guide them on how to earn a good living through farming.”
She wakes up at 1am daily to be able to travel from the village and reach the market on time.
“I sell cassava, dalo, bananas, lemons, chilies, ota, bele and other vegetables.
“We grow these on our farm. We harvest our produce on Mondays, and I come to sell at the market Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.”
At the market, Ms Ragini sometimes sells wholesale but most of the time, she sits down and sells her produce at her stall.
“I pay $60 to the carrier driver to get my produce to the market. At times I sleep for only two to three hours and wake up at 1am to prepare for the market.
“We leave the village at 2am and reach Suva at 3am. And then, I stay at the market the whole day selling.
“I go home by carrier at 6pm. The return fare is $15.”
She said the family was living a happy and blessed life through farming.
“We pay for everything from the profit we make through farming.
“People buy our produce because we sell everything fresh from the farm.
“We eat fresh and sell fresh.”