Nata: What It Takes To Renew Land Lease

Renewal of land leases under the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) were dependent on the land’s productivity, timely lease payments and willingness of the landowner to continue leasing.

This was the sentiment by iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) chief executive officer Solomoni Nata during the Joint Public Land Taskforce Consultation at Nadogo College on Thursday.

Currently, there are 52,000 tenancy agreements under TLTB and were safeguarded, Mr Nata added.

“With this huge number, we are trying to provide security and guarantee that this lease will run until expiration without disturbances,” he said.

The consent of the landlord to continue the lease renewal was dependent on their interest whether they are interested to use that parcel of land for their own needs.

“So, if the landlord needs that land for usage, we will have to inform the tenant that the lease will not be renewed,” he said.

“The main challenge is how to use these idle lands to productive use and allow landowners access income through lease payments.”

Mr Nata said landlords and tenants must understand their permanent and temporary ownership is secured under the law of the land.

He said monitoring was underway to identify leased land, but, left unproductive, so fines and penalties would be the next course of action.

This penalty could range up to $2000-$3000.

Prior arrangement is key to ensuring both the TLTB and the landowner are aware of the financial challenges of the tenant.

Mr Nata advised tenants to inform and sought assistance from their officers on payment arrangement which can be accommodated in a cycle of five years.

Farmers are encouraged to lease land at a reasonable term (30, 50, 99 years) to avoid paying premiums out of their financial capacity.

Customer Service

Mr Nata reiterated self-performance assessment of their institution is key to improvement of their service delivery to customers.

“We are key stakeholders to ensure land is utilised to productive use for the economic development of our country,” he said.

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