EMI KOROITANOA
It was not many years ago when Abdul Arif knew he wanted to see change and progress for the better, so he did what he had to by taking matters into his own hands .
Mr Arif, who is married with three kids, did this by constructing a slaughter house for his own poultry farm which cost him $30,000 back in 2014.
His farm was then officially opened by the Permanent Secretary of Agriculture.
“Apart from poultry farming, I also do vegetable and goat farming,” the 54-year old farmer said.
He feels he has benefited in a myriad of ways, saying he is not answerable to anyone now that he has become an employer himself.
“This business is booming at the moment as less people are into this farming. I urge farmers to also start doing poultry farming at a small scale and they will surely benefit from it,” he said.
“The Government assisted me in building a chicken shed. I constructed a slaughter yard myself and I will seek government assistance to build another chicken shed as the business is growing.”
He shared he believe this business will grow even further in this country as the demand for ducks, chickens and goats are very high.
“I have about 2000 chickens in stock as a bulk of it has been sold to local supermarkets. The male duck is sold at $30 and female ducks are sold at $17,” he added.
“I have a shop in Nadera where I sell them at a higher price. The neighbours are also buying ducks from my farm. It very difficult to meet the demand.”
The Ministry of Agriculture saw that his farm had been operating on a small scale and advised him to supply ducks and chicken to supermarkets.
He was later assisted through the Food Security Programme with the procurement of a broiler shed material, day old chicks, water tank, feeds, drinkers and feeders worth $15,085.
Another farmer, Deo Dutt of Baulevu received Government assistance of about $15,000 worth of machineries and plant materials.
Mr Dutt, who owns a five acre vegetable farm in Baulevu, received a fertilizer, weedkiller and rotovator machine from the Ministry of Agriculture.
This came after the 59-year old lost his egg-plant plantation to a virus.
“From last year till May this year for about eight months, I did not grow anything on that land,” he said.
With the assistance he has been given now, however, he has begun to see improvement in his vegetable farm.
“My son is working outside and this is how we are surviving,” he added.
He said he wishes to now carry out eggplant farming on a larger scale and thanked the Government for all their assistance.”
The Minister for Agriculture Dr Mahendra Reddy, during a consultation with farmers of Baulevu, informed them of the ministry’s intent to actively promote commercial agriculture, emphasizing their role in advancing the sector by utilizing Government’s available resources, and to work collaboratively with the Ministry to implement initiatives.
“I must commend you all for the effort that you tirelessly put into your farms, whether it be livestock or crops, you play an important role in feeding the nation and contributing to the country’s Gross Domestic Product,” Minister Reddy said.