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.

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