The
agriculture sector has demonstrated that despite the global pandemic of
COVID-19, which brought the world including Fiji to its knees; it continued to
thrive, almost unaffected by the impact.
A success
story that proves this point is that of Asinate Tabua, 61, of Korotogo Village,
in the district of Conua, Nadroga.
Speaking
in i-taukei, Asinate explained she did not feel the economic impact of COVID-19
despite the closure of hotels. She said the churches continued to provide her
with business.
Asinate is
a floriculturist whose love for flowers was nurtured whilst growing up. She
supplied to a nearby hotel in pre-COVID times until her retirement in 2016.
After retiring, her former employer continued to engage her services due to the
demand for tropical flowers for the wedding market by tourists who opted to
exchange their vows in that resort.
She
thanked the Ministry of Agriculture for its timely assistance in providing her
with a greenhouse that allowed her to expand her business.
She
encouraged women who were not in full time employment to take up floriculture
as a means to earn income.
Further,
she urged women to always plan ahead and work hard so they could look after
themselves instead of relying on others.
Asinate
plans to build another nursery following the success of her current one, which
was provided under the Ministry’s Women in Agriculture program.
The
program supports women and women’s groups for active participation in
agriculture development through its first objective of commercializing
floriculture for cut flowers and green foliage production and the establishment
of nurseries.
-Ends-