To earn money from your hobby could be tough, but the women of Wainadoi Floriculture group have taken the challenge head on with assistance from the Agriculture Department.
The group was provided with assistance under the Department’s Rural and Outer Island (ROI) programme, which is aimed at alleviating poverty in rural and outer islands.
The Department not only encourages people to delve into usual agricultural activities, but also allowed women like Ms Ekari Matawasori, 46, of Wainadoi Settlement to turn her skills into a successful and financially rewarding home-based business.
Matawasori said she turned her flower-gardening hobby into a cash-generating business seven years ago and is currently partnering with 13 other women.
“We started off on a Friday afternoon with a just few bunches of flowers placed on the road side in 2004,” she said.
“We had been doing floriculture for beautification purposes but later decided go another level and earn income for our families.”
Matawasori said assistance from Government was given in the form of building materials for their nursery and support training.
“We began with planting anthurium but it did not work out well so we switched to planting local flowers.
“Currently, we have a variety of ginger, heliconius, breeds of palms, toronius, cordylines, croton etc, ” Matawasori said.
The group sells flowers and pot-plants as well with varied prices depending on varieties and species.
“We began with $2 per bunch but prices have increased to $3-$5 per stem. Pot plants are sold at $5 to $15,” Matawasori added.
She added that their customers are locals and tourists but they were fortunate to secure a fixed customer in November last year.
“Pure Fiji buys flowers from us every Wednesdays and it is delivered to Nadi by DHL and we get $50 from that weekly sale,” she added.
The Wainadoi women supply Pure Fiji with ginger and ‘sexy pink’ heliconia.
Matawasori said that they are looking at expanding their business and will confer with Agriculture Officers in Navua.
“We want to expand our nursery and build a meeting place for our fortnightly meetings,” she said.
Matawasori said her husband is without employment for a year and the venture is a family business since her two children also help in the nursery.
She said sales is always a challenge but they have high hopes.
Matawasori added that they’ll continue to look for sustainable markets.