Peanuts for a living

By Talimalie Uta 29 August 2017, 12:00AM

Omao Pritchard is not your average man. 

While most men prefer taro plantations and banana patches for a living, he is a peanut farmer.

 “I work for my own benefit and I serve my family with the wealth I can get from my skills and talents,” he said.

The 40-year-old man was with his workers at their peanut farm yesterday when the Village Voice caught up with him.

 “Working on my peanut farm for a very long time has given me the opportunity to realize that if you try your best and don’t give up easily, you will get the rewards,” he said.

“I have been in this industry for a very long time now. And I tell you, it’s big money if you do it with honesty and integrity.”

Offering the best peanuts in Samoa is Omao’s goal.

“Well we work really hard to ensure our customers love our peanuts because their interest is an indication that we are doing okay.

“The work we do is about serving our country and by that we get really good feedback from our customers.”

Asked on how much money they make, he said they make enough. 

 “We earn about $10,000 a month but we have to pay people too. The whole packaging is done manually.

“It takes up to three months for a peanut to grow, so we gather the first package and wait for the others to grow.”

The 40-year-old also shared his thoughts about how people are too busy flooding around Apia to look for jobs when they can earn money working the land.

“I’m not saying this to anyone in particular but specifically to people who are wasting their energy doing nothing but pretending to look for a job.

“Don’t waste your time, life is getting tough and the cost of living is rising. Use your time wisely, if you can’t get a regular job then look for other options, we have lands to work on.”

Omao Pritchard lives with his family of eight in Aele.

By Talimalie Uta 29 August 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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