Sadha Lata Singh, 58, has no regrets about her transition from being a secondary school teacher and lecturer to a sugarcane farmer. Ms. Singh spent 24 years as a teacher before joining the Technical College of Fiji (TCF) in 2015. However, she had to seek a new career path when TCF closed down in 2020.
During her time at home, she found inspiration from her husband, Indar Deo, 65, who owns a 13.5-acre sugarcane farm and is a retired police officer. In 2020, Ms. Singh acquired a 10-acre plot in Wailevu, Labasa, where she initially began rice farming in 2022 but later transitioned to sugarcane farming last year.
So far this year, she has harvested 90 tonnes of sugarcane for the Fiji Sugar Corporation Labasa Mill. “It wasn’t easy to transition from holding a chalk to a pen and then a cane knife,” she remarked. Adjusting from a classroom to working on a farm under varying weather conditions posed its own challenges, as did securing land and renewing the leases with landowners.
Ms. Singh noted that working on the farm has contributed positively to her health. “I encourage mothers who have lost their jobs or are facing difficulties to never give up hope. I feel fortunate to have a son who is an engineer and supports my venture by purchasing a tractor,” she said. She learned about sugarcane farming by assisting her husband in his retirement plans.
“I am grateful for having a supportive husband and son, which has made my life easier,” she added. Looking ahead, she plans to move into mechanisation in her farming operations.
Recently, she was one of 58 recipients who received a grant from the government at the Sugar Cane Growers Fund office in Labasa to assist with the renewal of land leases.