A 23-year-old is producing organic fertiliser from his home in Narere to provide farmers with a cheaper yet healthier alternative to chemical fertilisers.
Joeli Waqanivalu runs his own organic fertiliser business which he started before the COVID-19 pandemic struck last year.
He said the idea of using organic fertilisers came from what he learnt in school as well as what he was taught while being raised back in his island in Moala.
“What I learnt in real life on my island and what I heard from my grandfathers was there was a lot of change especially in our coastal area for the fishing and they said it’s the use of weedicide on our islands so that’s how I build up to start thinking about the plan,” said Mr Waqanivalu.
“So when I came to Suva to study marine science another major issue I found out which affects our coastal environment a lot was the use of inorganic fertilisers and etc.
“From there I started thinking of doing something in organic either planting organic, buying organic stuff from the market, but the only thing that inspired me to do my product was when I saw the cost.”
He said organic products in the market were too costly and impractical for farmers especially given the fi nancial constraints brought in by the pandemic.
He added this inspired him to create his own product and offer a price which was affordable to the farmer.
“From there I started to mass produce my product. “In the market right now there are two types, one is liquid and the other one is the powder.
“For my powder product the only thing that is unique about it is all made from plant based matter material,” he said.
Mr Waqanivalu ensures farmers there are no use of animal byproduct used in his produce nor does he use any materials from fish produce.
“It can be used with any product, as for the vegetables its 30ml to one litre and for other crop its 60 ml to one litre.”
The bio-fertiliser is available online through their Facebook page and according to Mr Waqanivalu interest has been shown by retailers from the Western and the Northern divisions.
“At the moment now we are just located at Narere, we send it over in Vanua Levu or the Western Division but there are plans in the future where other agriculture shops which are wanting to sell the products.
“These retailers were in the West and in Labasa. “I just process it at my place in Narere because the process is not that really hard, I just have to carry out the fermentation process to extract the nutrients from the plant to the liquid.”
The prices for the fertilisers range from $15 for the two litres, $30 for the 4.5 litres and $90 for the 20 litres.
“Ever since last year when I started selling the product most of the farmers sent me the different pictures weekly,” he said.
Mr Waqanivalu added farmers would be able to notice a quick progress in their produce.
Produce planted in pot plants would show progress in two days while those planted in the field would take one week to show the progress through using organic fertilisers.
Mr Waqanivalu said about 50 farmers from around the country had bought his product from Vanua Levu to Taveuni, the outer islands as well as the Western Division.
“Most of them are in the Central Division from Naitasiri right to Waila and Suva area,” he said.
Farmers were also advised to work smart and start small as most lose out financially when investing in big projects.
“First you have to start small and then grow big so it will give you time to become an expert of your own product and commodity.
“So you can know or you can do what is needed to be done in the future because if you start big and you don’t really know about that product you are going to collapse in the coming years.
“The only advice I would have to say is you have to work smart not work hard because if you are working hard and not smart you are just wasting your time and your efforts,” he said.
