46-year-old Aqbal Azam Ali of Waiwai, Ba left his highly qualified job as an IT Executive at a supermarket and is currently a successful pineapple farmer.
Ali says he was brought up in a farming environment as his father was a cane cutter and had worked hard so Ali and his brother can get a better education.
The 46-year-old says they struggled a lot growing up as they had to water the garden before going to school, sell vegetables for their bus fare, as well as helping their father on the farm to milk the cows.
Ali adds they did not have electricity and used to study using kerosene lamps.
He says he always wanted to start a business had financial difficulties which is why he switched to farming which does not require a lot of finances. Ali started his farming business in 2015 and is the sole breadwinner for his family. He says his mother and elder brother who is a Civil Engineer have helped him a lot by working on the farm while his uncle helped him by providing him the seeds.
The 46-year-old says he has four full-time staff but he also employs 20-25 more casual workers while planting and harvesting the crop. He adds he has customers within Viti Levu and Vanua Levu to whom he supplies his crops. Ali is urging young people to act now before it's too late and farming can also be a good business as fresh produce is always in demand.
