Photo: Fiji govt
Concerns about lease renewals and tensions between landowners and tenants have surfaced in Fiji during consultations held by the country's native land administrative body.
Last week, dairy farmers from Tailevu informed the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) that they were "verbally informed" by the landowners that their leases would not be renewed.
"Dairy farmers of Delasui were told to leave the land because the landowners, Yavusa Bau do not want to renew their leases," according to The Fiji Times' report.
"The leased land expired in 2019, but the families made numerous attempts to apply for renewals with the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) before the deadline," according to Harvindra Singh, who was speaking on behalf of the dairy farmers.
The newspaper reported Singh, the district's advisory councillor, said his family has lived there for more than 60 years, and said "families had invested in farms, crops, livestock and other properties".
"A TLTB representative liaising on behalf of the landowners said Yavusa Bau had rejected plans by the dairy farmers to continue to lease because they also have a land use plan," according to The Fiji Times' report.
TLTB acting chief executive Solomone Nata said they would be looking into the concerns.
In another report published on Monday, Nata revealed that landowners were resorting to "bullying tactics" with tenants.
Nata was speaking at a Lands Taskforce consultation in Vanua Levu.
He said the reports included "landowners demanding for certain things such as cane knives and farming equipment".
However, he said landowners were not supposed to do that.
"It's not allowed by law to go to your tenants and demand things from them," Nata said, according to The Fiji Times report.
Nata is encouraging the landowners cultivate their land instead of going to tenants and demanding for things.
The TLTB administers leases on iTaukei (indigenous) land.
There are several lease types, including agricultural, commercial, educational, forestry, government, industrial, residential, tourism, water/mineral and other leases.
About 90 percent of land in Fiji is iTaukei land.