Essequibo farmer sees bright future in farming

By Indrawattie Natram

Many persons pay little thought to farmers, but if we consider the importance and responsibilities of Guyanese farmers, we should stop and give them their required salute, or the acknowledgement they truly deserve.

In light of October being observed as Agriculture Month, we take a closer look at the life of a cash crop farmer who said he has gained everything that he now possesses because of his love for farming.

The dedication and commitment of farmer Totaram Sasenarayan, aka ‘Subeer’, could be identified with many farmers from the village of Golden Fleece Estate in Essequibo, who have gradually transformed their small village into a large agricultural landscape.

The village of Golden Fleece, which is familiar to many as a vast agricultural community, is also famous for the majority of vegetables that can be purchased or consumed on the local Guyanese market.

On an average weekend, Subeer said he would harvest six bags of boulangers, six bags of calaloo, two bags of lettuce, two bags of peppers, and two bags of cucumbers, which he would sell to small market vendors at Charity and Suddie.

Upon a visit to this farmer’s two-house lot-sized farm in Golden Fleece, it was neatly arranged with numerous rows of beds, and it ws weed free. The farmer, who said he is now in the farming business for the past thirty one years, was harvesting boulangers, lettuce, calaloo and cucumbers, which he would later prepare before selling to his customers. 

‘Whatever you sow, you reap’

Taking some time off to engage Sunday Times Magazine, Subeer talked about some of his success stories as a farmer.

He recalled, too, that his passion for farming began a number of years ago, ever since he was a young boy of twelve.  The now forty-three-year-old Essequibian recounted that he was deprived of a secondary education because as a child all he knew and saw his parents doing, was farming. 

Recounting a popular phrase his late father Sasenarayan often used, “If you don’t plant you won’t eat, and what you put in that much you will get back in life”, Subeer admitted that he has followed the simple but golden “motto” throughout his life, which he said was comfortable at present due to the many benefits he has since derived as a farmer. 

Subeer, who has gradually advanced to cultivating on larger plots, said he started out with a kitchen garden in his father’s yard. He recalled planting several crops, such as ochroes, bora, boulangers, tomatoes, cabbages, and peppers, of which he would both consume and sell in order to sustain his family, which then included his parents, who are now both deceased, and his younger siblings.

Subeer has vivid memories of his childhood days in the farm, where he and his younger siblings would all work in collaborative efforts to get the gardening work done.

Recalling his chores, Subeer said his tasks entailed from planting seeds to harvesting. He said everyday, he would rise as early as 4:00 in the morning; hurriedly he would grab something to eat before venturing to the farm where his day started.

First examining the vegetables to ascertain the readiness of each one to be picked, he would later journey to neighbouring villages where he sold his produce.  He recalled sometimes selling a basket of produce for 10 cents and 12 cents.

Subeer said that he also sells his produce on Wednesdays, both retail and wholesale, at the Suddie and Charity markets.

The farmer, who has invested a lot of years into farming, which still, serves as a means of sustenance presently as a father and husband, vowed not to trade the job which has evolved into a career from which his livelihood has come thirty-one years now.

“[I] will not trade it for anything,” he declared. 

Subeer said farming is “tedious, but I have see it paying me off dearly.”

He has come from planting a regular kitchen garden to now owning two plots of land, including a portion of land behind his yard. He intends to own demarcated plots of land in order to advance his farming on a larger scale.

“I intend to purchase land that would be available to me so I can plant on a larger scale, for a larger market,” he said. 

On a typical day, Subeer would leave his home for the backdam where his farm is now located, to both check on his crops and reap. This task, he said, further involves the preparation of beds and cleaning of weeds by hand and with a cutlass.

He further noted that, in an effort to complete a full day’s work, he would subsequently venture back in the backdams later in the evening to shred, prune, water and also complete his harvest, which he brings back out at the market the following day.

Identifying some of the challenges he continues to encounter, Subeer said the most serious of them is the fluctuation of prices on the market.

 “Some days I would sell four boulangers for $100, while some days I am forced to sell six in order to satisfy my customers’ pockets.”

Another challenge Subeer identified was establishing enough markets for all his produce.  The dedicated farmer stressed that recently there has been competition in the area of farming. 

“Due to the lack of employment on the coast, a lot of young men have now ventured into farming, and so everybody is actually planting and selling the same crops; the difference is the standard of the produce and the price,” he pointed out.

Family man 

Subeer is the proud father of two adult sons, Omesh and Yagesh, who are said to be encouraged to follow in his “footsteps”. Instilling in them the idea of becoming their own boss rather than being someone else’s servant is a good theory for Subeer, so he encourages both of his sons to become farmers, and by choosing farming and being dedicated in the field, their choice can “bear fruit” and “give birth” to a rewarding life.

Subeer said that he provided an education for his children strictly by farming, “I don’t work anyway else besides going to the farms; my sons’ education was all financed through farming,” he said proudly.

Subeer is married to ‘Sattie’, who also assists him in the farm. 

 “My wife, she assists me a great deal in the farm, especially in washing the produce for market the next day; we all work with love and unity on the farm,” he disclosed.

To increase his knowledge in farming Subeer attests to receiving training and technical advice from the staff of National Agriculture Research Institute. He said they would visit his farm often, and advice him on chemicals and pest control.

“Farming today can be lucrative, but there must be firm commitment and dedication to the whole production,” the farmer said, re-emphasizing his learnt and replicated motto, “Whatever you sow, you will reap”.

This term is truly applicable to how people work and live. (Taken from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)