Fijileaks
  • Home
  • Archive Home
  • In-depth Analysis
    • BOI Report into George Speight and others beatings
  • Documents
  • Opinion
  • CRC Submissions
  • Features
  • Archive

LAND OWNERS AND UNITY FIJI LEADER: 'In our meeting at one of the mahogany growing areas, we were told that the FFP Government and the TLTB had renewed the LEASES of their LAND without their CONSENT.'

31/5/2022

 
“In our meeting at one of the mahogany growing areas, we were told that the Government and the
TLTB had renewed the leases of their land without their consent,” says Savenaca Narube, the Leader of Unity Fiji.


Narube adds, “We have been told this story on numerous occasions around Fiji. The landowners are
losing control of their land.”


The Leader of Unity Fiji continues, “Landowners confirmed to us that the lease on their land for mahogany started with five cents per acre per year. This is an insult to the landowners. The lease is well below the market value of their assets. This exploitation, which is pervasive in Fiji, has contributed to the perpetual poverty that the landowners have been suffering for a very long time.”

“Landowners give their land for development in the hope that they will make a reasonable return on their assets. But they have been badly let down. And to add salt to injury, the leases have been extended without their approval,” says the former Governor.

“The landowners told us that the mahogany trees took 30 years to mature. While waiting for the trees to mature, landowners cannot survive on the lease payments. When the trees mature, other companies are contracted to harvest them. Landowners are only paid the stumpage which is grossly insufficient for their 30 year wait,” explains Narube.

“I also heard for the first time the serious environmental damages that the mahogany trees cause to streams. The mahogany leaves clog up the streams, turns the water black, and kills the fish and plant life which are important sources of food for the villagers. This necessitated a reassessment of the appropriateness of the trees to Fiji. This has not bee done before leases were renewed.”

“The wealth from the mahogany forests is harvested by millers and exporters while the landowners
remain in poverty.”


Narube says, “We were informed that the governance of the industry is heavily politicised. The Prime Minister and the Attorney General are personally involved at the Council level. This is unheard of. The purposes of their involvement are unclear. From what we have seen, they are there for political purposes only and not for the interest of landowners.”

Narube concludes, “The story emerging from the mahogany forests is a tragic reflection of what is happening across the country. The resource owners are not receiving anywhere near the market return of their assets. In interfering in the governance of the industry and in doing nothing to rectify the matter, this Government is leading and abetting this exploitation. Our natural resources are our future. But sadly, and for too long, we lack the leadership and the vision to realise our dreams.”

Comments are closed.
    Contact Email
    ​[email protected]
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012