66 families from the Western Division now have a reason to smile after they received their registered agricultural lease documents yesterday.
While handing over the leases, Minister for Lands Faiyaz Koya highlighted that 39 leases have been issued to people in Ba, 16 in Lautoka and 11 to Nadi.
Koya remained the people who received the leases to utilize the land as per the set terms and conditions outlined in their agreements and asked them to do no such thing to jeopardize the prospects of their kin in securing the same piece of land should they wish to do so in the future.
He says the Government has set systems and policies governing their processes, and the same is so for the approval and issuance of renewed agricultural leases.
Koya says under these provisions, the government is optimistic that long tenure of leases will foster the sustainable and progressive development of the agricultural and commercial sector as a whole.
He says these agricultural leases are a small piece of the larger puzzle and the onus is now on the tenants to do with it what they have already earmarked for its implementation.
