The story of a successful farmer

TOTARAM Tamby had very little to nothing when he started out life on his own and today, he is a successful farmer with his own house and farm, earning at his own pace.

Being a farmer for more than 25 years, Tamby is a very patient man who is versed in the ‘know-how’ of farming and his main crop is pumpkins.

“I started out life with nothing when I got married, then I built a little camp with pieces of wood and zinc and lived until I could do better,” he said.

Tamby added that his father passed away when he was a boy and he is a native of Plegt Anker Village, a place he has lived all his life and feels comfortable; so much so he will not relocate.

“Farming is the only thing I know about since I small. I grew up in that line of work, so it is ingrained in me and I am making a living farming, a humble type of work that requires patience and knowledge,” he said.

Tamby stated that when he got married, he wasn’t successful and made a lot of sacrifices to give his family a better life of comfort.

He had a small shack-like camp, which was probably 10 by 16 feet in size and after the birth of his first child, he knew he could no longer live in such a place.

Tamby saved up and built a modest house and his children had their own bedrooms and life began to look much better after he upgraded to a bigger house.

The farmer related that when his children were at school, he and his wife used mattock and planted bora which he sold and managed to save $80,000.

The money he used to buy a lawnmower and expand his farm to pumpkins. He then began sending his spouse to the city to do the shopping, while he concentrated on cultivating the land.

Tamby explained that he changed his life a lot after he realised his children were growing up and he needed to become a good role model, so they could pattern themselves after the lessons he taught them.

He quit drinking and staying out late with friends and became an ideal father and it was a good decision, he explained.

“I prefer to live off the land, plant, sell the produce and whatever I don’t sell I can eat, so this way I can never go hungry,” he said.

Tamby reported that he gets worried only when his kitchen doesn’t have salt, rice and other essentials for cooking.

Today, Tamby and his sons do the farming while his wife goes to the New Amsterdam Market to sell the produce.

Tamby disclosed that he cannot read nor write well, because he did not go far in school and exited the school system quite young because of poverty. He admitted that he uses commonsense to calculate his money earned from farming.

The 54-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has seven acres of citrus and cash crops and he would sell his pumpkins to wholesale buyers, who export the pumpkins, which are of high quality and would last an entire month after harvesting.

Tamby related that neighbours are supposed to be your closest family and he would try to be cordial, but isn’t a very social person because he would rather spend his time on the farm tending to crops.

His sibling lives next door and other family members also reside in the community.

The father of three added that his sons have their own farmlands and crops, but often they would assist him on his farm, and only when he has a good harvest he would employ one or two men from the village.

“My best friend is my cutlass, because when you achieve things, it doesn’t sit well with some people, so for less trouble I would keep my distance and mind my own business. Hardly anyone would come and sit and talk with you when you get certain things and you don’t mix up a lot,” he said.

Tamby told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is, however, grateful for the cash grant of $100,000, which was given by the current administration.

In the last flood, which happened earlier this year, he was affected and lost crops, but was able to re-plant to earn.

Even though he used to rear cows, he had to do away with them because it was becoming a problem for his neighbours.

The only thing is, he misses the fresh cow’s milk but is coping.