Freehold Buy-Back Scheme for landowners, Govt intervenes only after mutual agreement between freehold titleholder and the landowners

The Cabinet has approved the reintroduction of the landmark Freehold Buy-Back Scheme, which will allow eligible iTaukei landowning units to reclaim ancestral lands sold as freehold property during the colonial era.

Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources, Filimoni Vosarogo says the scheme now referred to as the Buy Back Scheme marks a historic revival of a program that was first introduced in 1989 and expanded in 1993.

While speaking to fijivillage News, Vosarogo clarified that under the scheme, the government intervenes only after a mutual agreement is reached between the current freehold titleholder and the landowners for the sale of the land and at that point, the government steps in to purchase the land and later transfers ownership of the title to the landowners once they have fully repaid the government over an agreed period.

Vosarogo emphasized that this is not just a land transaction, but an act of restoration and recognition of past injustices and through this scheme, iTaukei landowners will be empowered to reclaim land that holds deep cultural, spiritual, and economic significance.

He also highlighted the success of the earlier iterations of the scheme, through which the government acquired 24 freehold parcels spanning over 14,700 acres at fair market value under interest-free loan arrangements.

Vosarogo says the government has proposed a $10 million allocation in the 2025/26 Financial Year to support the reimplementation of the scheme. A new implementation framework will be jointly developed by the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Finance, and the Office of the Solicitor General.

Vosarogo says the lands acquired will remain freehold under the 2013 Constitution and will not revert to iTaukei Reserve Status.

Restrictive covenants will be enforced to prevent future alienation—any land dealings will require the consent of the Director of Lands.

The scheme encourages participatory land development, empowering landowners to use the land for housing, agriculture, or commercial purposes.

Vosarogo confirms that 10 new freehold parcels have already been identified, with expressions of interest received from the respective landowning units.

An additional 11 parcels have been marked for negotiation with the current freehold titleholders.