Former Education Minister and SODELPA MP Aseri Radrodro is urging the Government to immediately set up a Lease Review Committee to look into the plight of both landowners and tenants regarding land lease issues.
While responding to the President’s address in Parliament, Radrodro is hopeful for wisdom and foresight to guide negotiations around this subject as it is one of the most contentious issues confronting the country today.
He says this is evident in the sugar and dairy industry, and last year, we read of the disturbing news of some landowners refusing the renewing of leases in Tailevu North.
He is certain that the landowners may have genuine issues they wish to be addressed.
The SODELPA MP says too often advisers provide criticisms but do not provide a solution to landowners, and the issue of the Tailevu Fulton College lease dispute is a classic example to learn from.
Radrodro says that the once beautiful school now lays silent as the Management of the proud College decided to relocate to its new location in Sabeto, Nadi.
He says in the last couple of days, he was notified that leaseholders facing renewal of their sugarcane leases have been asked to pay a premium for their leases to be extended.
He further says most of these sugarcane farmers were caught off guard with respect to this alleged demand by iTLTB, and the details of this grievance may very well have an explanation by iTLTB, but his request today is for them to be practical with their demands.
He adds sugarcane farmers are already struggling to continue farming in the struggling industry, and to take further loans to be able to meet their premium demands as a pre-requisite to their lease extensions or renewal must be very daunting and demoralizing.
The former Education Minister says the plight of the indigenous landowners is not lost on him, as the usual mantra of asset rich and cash poor is a philosophy that must be defeated.
He says many indigenous land-owning units today are devising ways to turn their vacant lands into productive yaqona farms, dalo farms, ginger farms and the list goes on.
He also says some of the most common arguments prevailing over land leases are the absence of compensation for the use of natural resources like land and sea and the disparity in lease payment against the wealth and benefits derived by those leasing the land.
He urges the Government to immediately set up a Lease Review Committee to look into the plight of both landowners and Tenants- so that we address these issues once and for all.
Radrodro says iTLTB may not have the ability nor the political will to address these challenges that need to be resolved.
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