Meet Pu’efua Emosi Suluafi from Fuailolo’o in Mulifanua. 

The 56-year-old father of six has a message for the people of Samoa. 

“Use the land to address the high cost of living,” he told the Village Voice team yesterday. 

Mr. Suluafi is a dedicated farmer who supports his family with his plantation.

He says his other three children in Australia and New Zealand also help his family.

“I think life in Samoa today is not a problem at all, we are moving forward and our developments are on the same page with the life we live.

“I don’t think it’s that hard because I fully support what the Prime Minister once said that we have money on our land.

“I have six children altogether and three of them are currently living abroad, while the other three are here with me and my wife.

“In my opinion, the cost of living here in Samoa is still the same.”

Mr. Suluafi was selling his crops on the road when the Village Voice team met him yesterday morning.

He says his family depends on their plantation.

“Our family is heavily dependent  on our plantation, especially the money we earn from it when we sell our produce.

“We sell some here and we also sell some at the market place in Apia and we earn good money.

“Three of my children who live here also help me with our plantation.”

Mr. Suluafi says life will be even harder when you don’t make an effort to work.

“I think the reality is, you suffer if you don’t work.

“It depends on how the person copes with the life we have these days, but I think the more you work the more blessings you will receive.”

Mr. Suluafi adds we need to stop relying on imported goods.

“We have land here in our country to work on and we have to make sure that we make use of it.

“We need to stop relying on the imported goods because they are expensive, but rely on our crops because they are healthy and cheap,” he said.