PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 1:44 PM by Luigi

Cicia earns from coconut

Fiji Times, October 11, 2005.

The Island of Cicia lies on the northernmost part of the Lau Group and has five villages - Tarukua, Natokalau, Lomati, Mabula and Naceva. Tarukua is the main port of entry with a jetty, post office and a hospital facility and is home to about 50 families.

The whole island is known for its extensive groves of coconut palms around the coasts which the islanders make good use of. Islanders have been vigilant in making coconut artefacts, but they are some of the best farmers in the Lau Group.

One of the most outstanding farmers is none other than Pita Rarasea of Mabula Village which is on the other side of the island from where Tarukua Village is situated. The 42-year-old vivacious farmer has been farming for the past 22 years and this is not a chore for him, but has become a hobby that he has fallen in love with.

If one takes time to carefully think about farming, first thing that would come to mind is the hot sun and secondly the thought of working in an isolated place is just too much to handle. But for Pita, he cannot wait to leave home to get to the farm as this is the only time that he can unwind and feel the fresh sea breeze against his neck.

"Farming for me is important because that is how I feed my family and the sight of the plants growing right under your very eyes is just exhilarating," he explained.

Pita has been planting on 15 square chains of land and plants about anything and everything. "I plant uvi, vudi, cassava, dalo, kumala, tivoli and green leafy vegetables," he smiled. Being brought up in the village, Pita believes that advice and continuous words of encouragement from his parents have seen him through the rough patches in life.

"To be a man is to be able to grow your own food and be able to support your family so that is the stand that I took from a young age and still doing today," smiled Pita.

He says that his efforts into his farm is because he knows that it will eventually end up on his table for meals, so he has never been more dedicated at farming than ever before. With seven children, Pita has managed to send them to school but like any other parent, education costs are increasing by the year.

Since farming on the island cannot reach a suitable market in time, Pita like many other islanders have been banking on their copra business to see them through the hard times.

"The island is filled with coconuts galore and this is probably the main source of income for the islanders as most of us dry copra to make a bit of money for the children's sake," he explained.

The feeling of achieving something in life is high among the villagers of Mabula thus the birth of a co-operative nine years ago which is being operated by the youths of the village.

"This is also the place where we sell our copra to and they sell to the Punjas Company so it has been quite easy for us."

Shipping services to the island visits twice a month which is okay for the islanders but according to Pita, there are high hopes of getting more consistent services.



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The Island of Cicia lies on the northernmost part of the Lau Group and has five villages - Tarukua, Natokalau, Lomati, Mabula and Naceva. Tarukua is the main port of entry with a jetty, post office and a hospital facility and is home to about 50 families. The whole island is known for its extensive groves of coconut palms around the coasts which the islanders make good use of. Islanders have been vigilant in making coconut artefacts, but they are some of the best farmers in the Lau Group. One of the most outstanding farmers is none other than Pita Rarasea of Mabula Village which is on the other side of the island from where Tarukua Village is situated. The 42-year-old vivacious farmer has been farming for the past 22 years and this is not a chore for him, but has become a hobby that he has fallen in love with. If one takes time to carefully think about farming, first thing that would come to mind is the hot sun and secondly the thought of working in an isolated place is just too much to handle. But for Pita, he cannot wait to leave home to get to the farm as this is the only time that he can unwind and feel the fresh sea breeze against his neck. "Farming for me is important because that is how I feed my family and the sight of the plants growing right under your very eyes is just exhilarating," he explained. Pita has been planting on 15 square chains of land and plants about anything and everything. "I plant uvi, vudi, cassava, dalo, kumala, tivoli and green leafy vegetables," he smiled. Being brought up in the village, Pita believes that advice and continuous words of encouragement from his parents have seen him through the rough patches in life. "To be a man is to be able to grow your own food and be able to support your family so that is the stand that I took from a young age and still doing today," smiled Pita. He says that his efforts into his farm is because he knows that it will eventually end up on his table for meals, so he has never been more dedicated at farming than ever before. With seven children, Pita has managed to send them to school but like any other parent, education costs are increasing by the year. Since farming on the island cannot reach a suitable market in time, Pita like many other islanders have been banking on their copra business to see them through the hard times. "The island is filled with coconuts galore and this is probably the main source of income for the islanders as most of us dry copra to make a bit of money for the children's sake," he explained. The feeling of achieving something in life is high among the villagers of Mabula thus the birth of a co-operative nine years ago which is being operated by the youths of the village. "This is also the place where we sell our copra to and they sell to the Punjas Company so it has been quite easy for us." Shipping services to the island visits twice a month which is okay for the islanders but according to Pita, there are high hopes of getting more consistent services. * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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