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By Kuini Waqasavou- Ministry of Primary Industries Playing professional soccer is 39-year-old Jone Turagarere’s passion in life and he certainly proved himself during this years Inter District Championships that was held in Ba in October of this year. He was the Goalkeeper for the Tavua District team. The father of five children is originally from Tovu, Totoya in the Lau Group but has been living in Nadala in Nadarivatu for a good number of years now Born and bred in the Gilbert and Alice Islands, Jone and his family were transferred to a lot of places due to the nature of work that his father was in. “My father was always getting transfers and Tavua is where we ended up in and it was also the place where I decided to stay,” he said. Tavua is also the place where Jone began his love for soccer and he used to practice in playgrounds close to his home with other soccer fanatics.
It was in 1983 that Jone started his career as a soccer player and as the years wore on, Jone grew from club games to district tournaments and shortly after, he donned the national colours and played in several overseas tours. “I played alongside big names like Radike Nawalu, Taito Bula and many other famous soccer stars and it was actually a dream come true for me,” he smiled. In between his career as a player, Jone also did odd jobs as a driver for several companies in Suva and he admitted that even though he earned money, he was still not satisfied with life. “I felt that I was missing something important in my life and when I met my wife, I decided that I had to settle down and fast because I needed to provide for my family,” he said. Jone continued his passion for soccer and continued doing odd jobs here and there just to provide additional income for his family. “My mother is from Nadala and all her family living there were into farming so we were asked if we could look after the farms and take care of it,” he said. Jone then decided that he was to move his family up to Nadala in Nadarivatu which is about an hour and half’s drive from Tavua Town. That was the turning point for Jone as he decided that toiling the land for a living was the best option for providing to his family’s needs. “I have to admit that it was not easy at first because I was one person that was used to living in the urban centres and moving to Nadala was a challenge for me,” he smiled. “But it did not take long for me to appreciate the life that we are now living in Nadala and it is a place where I have come to call home for the last couple of years,” he smiled. With four acres of land to toil, Jone did not waste time as he started planting vegetables and root-crops to feed his family. After the first few months, Jone discussed with his family members the options that he could take to increase his farm production. “My cousin brother was working for Fiji Pine Limited before resigning early this year and we are now into share farming and we have been working together as a team to ensure that we explore certain commodities for large-scale farming,” he said. Jone added that land clearing was quite a huge responsibility as the land that they were going to plant on was rocky and there are quite a number of huge boulders that have made their home on the land. “We did not have any farm machinery for land clearing so the onus was on us, and I have to admit that looking back now, I can say we have managed quite well without machinery,” he laughed. “We are still using forks, spades and knives on the farm and even though it is hard work, we are still striving for the good rewards that lie ahead of us,” he smiled brightly. Jone’s days on the farm begin at 5am and even though the weather is always chilly up on the mountains, he is dedicated to his job. “A lot of first timers to Nadarivatu are conscious of the climate as it can be very cold throughout the day but after living here for some time, I have grown accustomed to it,” he laughed. Jone is now growing dalo, tomatoes, cucumber and cabbage and says that he wants to increase production on his farm. “I am also looking at growing carrots as it grows well here amongst other vegetables and I know that as early as next year, we will be growing carrots here on the farm,” he explained. Jone said that carrots growing on other farms in the Nadarivatu area have grown well and he believes that if all the farmers cooperated and grew carrots on a large scale basis, there would be lesser imports of them into the country. “I guess that farming requires a lot of dedication and sacrifices and it is something that I am practicing even though it can prove to be difficult at times,” said Jone. Acting Agriculture Technical Officer (Tavua) Vinay Swami says that Jone is a great example of people who sacrifice a lot of life to earn themselves a decent living. “Jone is a very hardworking man and a keen worker as well and we are always happy to work with him in whatever way we can to ensure that he continues his farming,” explained Jone. Fieldman Esira Senimasi looks after the Nadarivatu areas and says that there is a lot of potential in vegetable farming. “A lot of farmers who were planting for food security purposes are now planting on a larger scale and its encouraging to see the healthy growth of the various produce that they plant and if given more support, I believe that Nadarivatu can become another salad bowl of Fiji,” explained Esira. After his first harvest of vegetables, Jone walked around to government stations and school compounds in Nadarivatu selling his produce. “It was quite an accomplishment the first time around and that is why I have set my eyes on improving my farming venture,” he beamed. Jone can also be seen on Fridays in Tavua Town with his plastics filled with assorted vegetables visiting stores and supermarkets hoping for a good sale. “I always manage to sell all my vegetables because I know a lot of people and business houses in Tavua Town and that is where my soccer reputation pays off,” he laughs. Jone is not going to give up his life in Nadala for any other place in the world and says that the beautiful scenery, natural surroundings and quiet atmosphere is everything he needs to fulfil his life as a full-time farmer. As for his passion for soccer, he says that he will also continue as long as his services are needed. ENDS |
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