In the heart of Sabeto, Nadi, 57-year-old farmer Saleshni Devi is transforming kumala (sweet potatoes) into an innovative range of value-added products, creating new business opportunities while promoting local agriculture.

With 37 years of farming experience, Saleshni has cultivated a six-acre farm alongside her husband, growing a variety of vegetables, including kumala. Inspired by a friend’s suggestion to explore kumala fries, she realized the crop’s untapped potential in Fiji.

“It has so many health benefits, yet we are importing potatoes while kumala is grown locally but underutilized,” she said.

In pursuit of her vision, Saleshni joined the Fiji Enterprise Engine Accelerator Program, where she conducted research on how kumala could replace imported potatoes in various products. Experimenting with recipes, she developed a range of kumala-based products, including fries, wedges, hash browns, nuggets, and samosas—all of which received positive feedback.

“Whatever can be made from potatoes, I found I could also make from kumala,” she explained. “People can’t even tell the difference in taste, and my products are delicious.”

One of the key challenges she identified was the lack of a strong market for kumala in Fiji. To address this, she developed a method to freeze kumala-based products, extending their shelf life from one week to nearly a year without compromising their taste and nutritional value.

“This is value-adding,” she said. “If left on a table, kumala lasts less than a week, but if processed and frozen, it remains fresh for six to eight months—or even a year.”

Her approach not only ensures kumala products are available beyond the harvest season but also supports local farmers by creating a sustainable market for their crops.

Currently awaiting approval for her Fijian Made labels, Saleshni has already begun approaching supermarkets with her products, determined to bring kumala to a wider audience.

Her journey highlights the power of innovation and entrepreneurship, offering inspiration to women farmers across Fiji to explore value-added agriculture as a means of economic empowerment.