Attractive market prices for farmers

By Vatapuia Maiava and Ilia L Likou 03 October 2016, 12:00AM

The life of a farmer in Samoa is looking pretty attractive especially with the great market prices for crop sales.

For Kuresa Taofi, a farmer from the village of Tiavea, crop sales right now are pretty good for earning a bit of money for the family.

“We are exporting a lot of taro right now and we sell what we have at a decent enough price. I would make about $20 a day from taro sales.

“The only problem is the cost of cars to transport the crops. Samoa is lucky because almost every family has a car which is all right. “

Aged 32, Kuresa says that life as a farmer is simple.

“This is what I do every day; we have the same chores from morning till night,” he said.

“We just work our plantation because it’s the only thing we have to look after our family. Every hour of the day I am out in the plantation and then I come back home to rest.

“When the sun sets then that’s the only time I can finally rest and have some food with the family.”

Life is also peaceful for Kuresa because of the great job the Village Council is currently doing.

“Right now we aren’t going through many problems because the Village Council really helps out with keeping order and peace,” he said.

“It’s just my mother and my siblings living here with me while the others are overseas. I work hard so I can take care of my mother and siblings.”

According to Kuresa, farming is the only work available to them in the rural villages.

“Like I said before, this is the only work I do here,” he said.

“I don’t really do anything else; the farming work is pretty much the toughest chore I have every day. The work I do provides enough for everything we need in the family.

“I would make my way to Apia every day to take some crops to sell at the market to earn a bit of extra cash for the family.

“If I get enough for sugar and other small things then that’s enough for us. We just take care of the things for the church and then focus the rest of what we have on our families.”

By Vatapuia Maiava and Ilia L Likou 03 October 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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