More landowning units should subdivide and lease land that does not currently have any productive use - PM

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says with more pandemic-driven population movement to more rural regions of the country, more landowning units should subdivide and eventually lease land that does not currently have any productive use.

While opening the Tailevu Provincial Council Meeting today, Bainimarama says as part of the national budget, all profits from subdivision projects whether through government in partnership with a business, or on their own are not taxable, meaning villagers can keep all the profits.

Bainimarama adds government is providing upfront funding to sub-developed land and set communities on the path towards self-sufficiency.

He says in Tailevu, one such project is the Nasoqela Subdivision which is already underway. Bainimarama further says government has helped drive local economic growth in Tailevu by funding projects in agriculture, forestry and aqua-culture and in Tailevu alone, over $3 million went towards ginger, cocoa, vanilla, dalo, yaqona, potato, rice, and land development for agricultural purposes last year.

Bainimarama says they introduced practical solutions and steadfast protections for landowning communities that had never before existed.

He adds government has invested over $107 million in the Tailevu province in the last financial year where they extended power supply and water access, supported micro, small, and medium enterprises, and launched demand-driven agricultural projects in rural and outer island communities.