KOTA TINGGI: Fishing was just a hobby for businessman V. Sivamani while growing up in a rubber estate in Bahau, Negri Sembilan.

       The 48-year-old, who has a diploma in mechanical engineering, never expected that his passion would become a successful venture.

       He now has three large freshwater fish ponds on a 5.2ha site here.

       Sivamani, whose parents were both rubber tappers, said during fishing competitions his fish ponds would be able to attract more than 200 participants per day. These anglers are not just from Johor but from around the country and Singapore.

       Sivamani has not been able to operate since June due to the pandemic and is now into poultry farming.

       He is also growing vegetables such as lemongrass and tapioca, and has to juggle his time between his agriculture venture and running a successful engineering company that provides services to palm oil mills nationwide.

       Sivamani, whose life has not been easy, credits his hard work and patience to his wife, who he said was the driving force behind his success.

       “I started working to help the family after SPM by doing odd-jobs at an palm oil mill in Negri Sembilan. I was earning RM8.50 per day doing 12- hour shifts,” he said.

       “I did my best and after some time, my supervisor promoted me to become a laboratory assistant at the mill. I was given a raise and later made store keeper.

       “I started studying part time and completed my diploma at a private college,” he said, adding that during his stint at the mill, he was even posted to Sabah.

       He said that with some encouragement and RM50,000 from his savings and money from his grandmother, he decided to venture into business at the age of 27.

       He partnered with another person from the palm oil industry to set up an engineering company here.

       “The initial years were tough as we just made enough to pay for our workers’ salaries and overheads.

       “We hardly had anything but we never gave up and our business prospered,” he said, adding that two years ago he decided to strike out on his own.

       Asked about his fish business, Sivamani, who has a daughter, said that he found out about this land from a friend and decided to lease it five years ago.

       “Initially I tried rearing tilapia but this did not work out well and I decided to open it up to anglers,” he said.

       Sivamani added that the thrill of landing a huge catch was one of the main reasons why many people did not mind paying to fish at Romaji Fishing Village.

       However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he has had to diversify his business.

       “My hope is for the government to allow the reopening of fishing ponds soon so that people can relax and take their mind off the stress of being stuck at home due to this pandemic,” he said.

       He also hoped that the government would relax the rules for engineering firms supporting the oil palm industry.

       While he had many orders to fulfil, Sivamani said he was unable to get the job done as many of his suppliers were not allowed to open since June.