Ratubuli enjoys pawpaw farming

www.fijisun.com.fj - 12 November 2009

Semi Ratubuli is a devoted sugarcane farmer in Sigatoka. He is from Volivoli Village. Through his farm and what he said as hard work, he has managed to build a house, buy a car and tractor and farming equipment. "At one point I was thinking of expanding my farm; make it big to earn a lot of money. I started encouraging my friends to take up sugarcane farming. "I found that physical labour of working under hot sun on the cane farm isn't worth any more. "People were leaving the field. I know some people who venture into small vegetable farming to keep food on the table. "Most of us (Fijians) who were planting sugarcane didn't bother any more," Mr Ratubuli said. Like most of his friends, Mr Ratubuli left sugarcane farming top to become an Ambulance driver at the Sigatoka Hospital. It was to make ends meet for five solid years. He said those were the hardest time of his life. Two years ago, a Ministry of Primary Industries officer advised him to develop pawpaw farming. Mr Ratubuli took a small loan from the Fiji Development Bank and his farm started all over again. He currently has three hectares of pawpaw of sunrise breed and harvests around 1000 kilogramme in a month, which is sold at $1.50 a kg to a Nadi-based exporter. The 53-year-old farmer said pawpaw farming was the latest craze for farmers in Sigatoka. "It still requires hard work and dedication but it, is much better than sugarcane farming." However, Mr Ratubuli said fertilizer was expensive. A 40kg bag cost $93. Ministry of Primary Industries director extension services division, Kalisito Biaukula, said 270 farmers in the district were engaged in pawpaw farming. Ninety-eight percent of these farmers plant Sunrise solo variety while five percent farm Waimanalo breed. Mr Biaukula said New Zealand and Australia are our major markets and exporters are currently buying at $1.20 - $1.50 per kg for the hermaphrodite fruit and $0.80 - $1.00 per kg for the female fruit (round fruit). He said if husbandry practices were followed, farmers could harvest their pawpaw within eight months "Well drained and aerated fertile soil is preferable for a good pawpaw farm," he said. Mr Biaukula said 10 percent of farmers in the Olosara Sector were planting pawpaw. "About 30 percent of farmers are farming on slope land. We have 120 farmers in the Olosara Sector," he added. He said pawpaw could be an alternative to farmers planting on flat land.