53 landowners and members of landowning units were all smiles today when they received their share of the Seed Fund Grant which totaled up to $460,000.
While handing over the grant，Prime Minister and Chairman for the ITaukei Land Trust Board Voreqe Bainimarama urged the landowners to use the money wisely as this was not a handout.
Bainimarama says the grant is not a handout but an investment to empower landowning units to manage business through the use of their land and the grant is meant for the landowners.
He says in 2017, ever since the inception of the grant $1.5 million has been given out to the landowners.
Bainimarama says they have seen recipients of the grant successfully running their businesses.
He says these are the recipients who have put forward plans to lease their land or start or grow a new business project.
The Prime Minister says he remembers the critics who said these seed grants were handouts and freebies.
Bainimarama told the landowners that the hard work and success of those of the landowning entrepreneurs has proved them wrong.
Bainimarama says he has read through a few of the applications and there are Fijians who will be farming dalo and yaqona, others who are in livestock, and some are in aqua-culture.
Bainimarama says these landowners are not the first landowners whose business plans have merited investment as some seeking to realise the full value of their land were also awarded.
Some of the landowning units who received the grant includes Mataqali Navuleka Trust from Burebasaga in Rewa, Mataqali Bavitilevu from Naitarisi, Korotu Development Trust in Namoli, Lautoka and Senibua Trust in Nadroga.
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