Former teacher wins award for innovative sugarcane farming

A former secondary school teacher is reaping the fruits of his labour and timely decision making which helped him to make sugarcane farming a profitable occupation and business. 

Munish Naicker was awarded the best innovative farmer for the Northern Division during the Prime Minister's Sugarcane Farmer's Mill Awards in Labasa today. 

Speaking to this masthead, he shared how he sacrificed a full-time teaching job to focus on making sugarcane farming a decent income source at Buceisau sector in Labasa. 

The 35-year-old said while youths or the new generation did not want to venture into sugarcane farming, he took a risk, which paid off. 

Being awarded a sugarcane related award meant the world to him because it was his first such success. 

"I applied for this award because I had the believe that my innovative farming techniques will be unique and ample enough to secure me an award," he said. 

He expressed happiness and pride in his work where he engaged in farm mechanisation and modern farming techniques to improve cane yield. 

"Every farming activity is mechanised from ploughing, planting, applying fertiliser to spraying weedicide to control pests were mechanised," he said. 

Mr Naicker believes in self-sufficiency and with his high knowledge in farm mechanisation, he handled sugarcane farming comfortably despite labour shortage or limitation. 

"I don't rely on manual labour, I have imported machinery from overseas such as sugarcane planter, sprayer and fertiliser applicator".

He recently purchased a farm tractor from New Zealand to further enhance his farming venture. 

Despite spending a fortune on farm machinery, he described it an investment rather than an expense. 

He left Naleba College located in Labasa in 2017 and joined the sugarcane industry and since then has become an inspiration for other youths. 

"I take sugarcane farming as a passion and a business which I try to profit from," he said. 

Mr Naicker supplied 1030 tonnes of cane to the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) Labasa mill on his single farm and revealed plans to invest in a second farm to increase supply. 

"I am purchased a second farm of 13 acres which I plan to cultivate sugarcane to boost supply".

While people criticised the future of the sugar industry was bleak, he claimed this was just an opinion, not reality. 

While hard work is needed to remain stable in the sugarcane business, he said owning his business and generating his own income was better than teaching for fixed salary. 

"When you work hard, you make yourself rich and financially competent to take risks in life," he added.