PHOTO BY MARLENE MCPHERSON
BUDHI
Marlene McPherson,
Gleaner Writer
St. Thomas:
If Nathan Budhi could live his life all over again he would have gone into farming much earlier.
Budhi, who is from St. Thomas, began farming approximately 30 years ago leaving behind a career in accounting. These days he and his business partner and friend Trevor Blake, cultivate a variety of crops that include hot and sweet peppers, calalloo, ackees, coconuts, mangoes and tomatoes on 150 acres of land in Denvers Pen. About 30 acres of this land is being utilised under the Ministry of Agriculture's "Fruit tree Crop Programme".
The success of Mr. Budhi's farm prompted him to establish his own processing plant where he processes and makes guava jelly, guava cheese, mango puree, guava puree for sale to ice-cream manufacturers as well as the local buyers. He has now expanded his processing operations to include callaloo, jerk seasoning, and ackees for the export market.
Like almost every other farmer, Mr. Budhi said he suffers at the hands of predial thieves, but he is hopeful that the recently enacted praedial larceny legislation will help to curtail the problem and bring about some welcome relief.
The farm is also a significant contributor to the Denver's Pen community, employing about 160 persons during the periods January to March and July to November. For the remaining months the farm employs about 60 persons. The processing operations also provide other farmers in the area with a viable market for their callaloo and ackees which Budhi uses to boost the processing plant's production.
