THE National Farmers Union has called on Fiji Sugar Corporation chairman Nitya Reddy to identify the nine properties that were sold well below the market price between 2019 and 2020.
Responding to Mr Reddy’s revelation that the sale of the valuable freehold and State land properties was sold at a price lower than expected, Union general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry also called on the board chairman to reveal if there was any government pressure to close deals.
He said Mr Reddy must identify each of the nine properties, state what it was sold for and what was the likely market price at the time, who was the buyer in each case and were tenders called for in each case.
“We are aware that one of the properties was sold to FNPF – this is the one where the FSC headquarters is situated. It also housed the Sugar Research Centre. FSC then leased the property back from FNPF,” Mr Chaudhry said in a statement.
“NFU had questioned the move at the time. FSC was severely cash-strapped at the time, but this was no reason to dispose of its prime properties at fire-sale prices.
“The people of Fiji need to know who the people behind these deals were.”
Earlier this week, Mr Reddy issued a response to media reports over the debt swap of the Lautoka Bowling Club between FSC and the South Pacific Fertiliser Ltd which he confirmed was worth $9 million.
Mr Reddy said between 2019 and 2020, FSC sold nine of its most valuable, many of which were located within highly commercial urban precincts, totalling 633 acres (approximately 2,561,662 square metres) to private interest groups and large institutional organisations at an average price of $101 per square metre.
He said this included nearly 10 acres (40,468 square metres) of land and valuable port infrastructure, disposed of at a low value of only $50 per square metre.
