NEWS

NLTB offers 50 year leases

The Native Land Trust Board is ready to issue 50-year secure leases to canefarmers, the NLTB's general manager, Mr Kalivati Bakani said today.

He rejected criticism by Mr Charles Walker, chairperson of the sugar industry restructure steering committee, about the NLTB's position on agricultural leases.

Mr Bakani said he was surprised Mr Walker did not appear to be familiar with the NLTB's policy.

"Our offer to the farmers is well-known," he said. "It has the backing of the Government and the Great Council of Chiefs and has been widely publicised."

"We are ready to change and issue longer leases but the representatives of the farmers are not giving a clear response. They cannot make up their minds."

The Fijians, said Mr Bakani, had a very responsive and responsible attitude to making land available to other communities, especially to farmers. Much of the best Fijian land was leased to non-Fijians.

Sugar growing, Mr Bakani said, could not have flourished and provided a way of life for so many of Fiji's citizens without continuing access to native land.

But the Fijian landlords no longer had confidence in the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant legislation (ALTA) because it exploited them. Neither did ALTA serve the best interests of the farmers.

The landowners wanted future leases to come under the Native Land Trust Act, which provided the best option for resolving national land difficulties.

A majority of native leases were already issued under NLTA. It had formed a foundation for growth in business, commerce and tourism. Additionally more than 11,000 residential leases were current, providing secure title for citizens and others who had constructed their homes on native land.

For the sugar industry NLTA could be suitably modernised and amended to include some of the appropriate provisions of ALTA.

Mr Bakani said the 50-year lease period proposed by the NLTB was a dramatic improvement on the 30-year ALTA term. A new rental formula would be fair to owners and tenants.

Mr Bakani said when land was leased under NLTA, there was no pattern of landowners refusing to extend leases. This was because NLTA was fairer to them.

In view of the unpopularity of ALTA, it was not surprising that many landowners did not wish to grant new leases. It was also normal for landlords to sometimes decide they wanted their property returned to them when a lease expired.

Mr Bakani said, however, the NLTB was softening the impact of ALTA lease expiry by giving a one-year grace period so tenants had more time to make alternative arrangements.

As a further gesture of goodwill, the NLTB continued for the time being to issue ALTA leases in those instances where agreement was reached for a new lease to be granted.

"This is a significant concession, given that the owners do not like ALTA and feel it has taken away many of their rights," Mr Bakani said.

Mr Bakani said the NLTB also assisted former tenants by giving them the option of acquiring a 50-year residential lease. Some were accepting these offers, especially those from families with more than one member bringing in income from non-farming jobs. Other tenants had bought new leases and also available were Government resettlement schemes with a $10,000 package of assistance.

End.

For further information contact:
Kalivati Bakani
Mobile: 9995 880