Minister for Finance Biman Prasad has assured farmers in the North that the Minister for iTaukei Affairs, Ifereimi Vasu would visit Vanua Levu this week to look into expiring land leases.

He had a discussion with Mr Vasu.

“I am fully aware of the land issues faced by farmers in the North” Mr Prasad said.

“I don’t want to go back to the past and talk about it, I am here to tell you what we can do.”

He told people at the consultations that they won’t be able to solve the problems instantly or next day or within a month.

“It’s a coalition Government, three parties approach, we have to work together, we are promoting more unity and trying to bring people together for the benefit of the nation,” Mr Prasad said.

“We don’t want to dictate. We don’t want people to be afraid and be given the opportunity to criticise openly.”

He said there would be few good things announced in the National Budget for farmers.

Seaqaqa farmer Jai Narayan said he had raised concerns to reduce the premium they had been paying to iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) up 35 per cent but that had not been done.

“Seaqaqa sugarcane farmers provide the highest premium and if Government doesn’t help us now then from 2024 you will see all bushes in Seaqaqa,” Mr Narayan said.

“There are many farmers whose leases are expiring and I hope you can do something.”

Another sugarcane farmer, Mohamed Alam said many people’s land leases were expiring next year and if Government won’t help them, they would consider withdrawing from sugarcane farming and migrate to Viti Levu.

Seaqaqa resident Mohammed Shamin revealed that there was no TLTB office at Seaqaqa to resolves their issues.

“We had requested the previous government during a meeting in this same venue to send their iTLTB officers once a week to Seaqaqa to attend to farmers’ concern and it happened only once,” Mr Shamin said.

“They are civil servants paid to provide us service and yet they can’t leave their office to attend us.”

Mr Prasad assured then that he would talk to TLTB and see how best they can help.

Story by: shratikan@fijisun.com.fj