15/02/2024
GUAVA FARMER THRIVES IN TAILEVU
Mr. Epi Tabuavula recounted the day he trekked an arduous journey over 2-kilometres by foot , walking from Suva bustand enroute to Laucala Beach.
Mr.Tabuavula was sampling out guava fruits from his farm to nearby supermarkets in hopes that he would secure a market for the budding business venture he had just begun to pursue.
With no means of transport and very little food to survive on, he carried heavy sacks of Pearl Guavas over his shoulders. Each step he took was weighed down by the blistering heat under the sweltering sun that particular day.
Undeterred by the grueling conditions, Mr. Tabuavula pressed onward, his determination burning as fiercely as the relentless rays above.
In his mind, his dream of opening a successful business was already accomplished. Holding his end goal in his mind is what kept him moving, motivating him to endure the journey ahead, this would be a memory he remembers four years later.
Today, the 35-year old’s resilient spirit has paid off as he is now the proud owner of ‘Epi Pearl Guava Farm’.
“All along it has been a dream of mine,” he said, “It was my dream to help extend the lives of others. To help the poor and to be a source of help for others.”
“I prayed to God that he would bless me with a business and use me to bless others.”
The success of his dream was further boosted after he applied for a Youth Grant operated under the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The recipient of the Ministry’s Youth Grant, received $4,000 worth of materials to help boost his Guava farm located in Nakalawaca village, Tailevu where his brothers help him on the farm.
The Tailevu lad supplies about 200-300kg of pearl guavas to major supermarkets per week such as Extra Supermarket, New World IGA and Morris Hedstrom.
Located at these various supermarkets, the product is sold at $8.00-$10.00 per KG and rakes in approximately $6,000.00 per month for Mr.Tabuavula.
Continuing to nurture his entrepreneurial spirit, Mr. Tabuavula has set his sights on expanding his business to include dragon fruit cultivation. With aspirations of entering the export market, his dreams seem limitless.
