Unhappy with expensive cost of living

By Aruna Lolani 07 July 2017, 12:00AM

Echoing the words of others, Niupoponepo Fualau says the cost of living is way too much for him and he is not a happy man.

He has seven siblings and he’s the third in his family. 

The 60 year old from Le’auva’a and Manono expressed his concerns regarding the cost of living.

“I’m a farmer and a fisherman and I think everyone would know what it’s like in my position,” he told Village Voice.

“Yes our crops are considered our wealth but most of the time, we earn so little from them.

“When we have little, we can’t seem to do much, or buy what we need to survive.

“When you’re a farmer, you always need chemicals to clean out the weeds in the plantations but even that we cannot afford.

“It’s frustrating because plantations are Samoa’s thing and we don’t really get any help for them.

“The cost of living keeps on getting higher and higher and before we know it, there will be more things that we cannot afford anymore.”

Fualau said he is originally from Manono but he came to Upolu because he is looking after his church minister’s land and house at Leauva’a.

“There are too many changes and the truth is, most of those changes come with a rising cost.

“And it’s a very high cost at that, because we farmers and fishermen depend on the money that we earn from our plantations.

“So I just want to ask the government to please help out our people by providing a solution for the expensive cost of living.”

By Aruna Lolani 07 July 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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