The Fiji Times published a story on August 10, 1984, about how people from northern Vanua Levu settled in a new land they would call home.
The report stated a large area of bushland that lay idle for years was tilled and farmed, thanks to concerted efforts of the Government and the communities.
The land consisting of 1251 hectares was located in Dogotuki, 70 kilometres from Labasa towards Udu Pont. It was commonly known as the Dogotuki Resettlement Project.
The story of the project began many years prior, but it was only in 1972 that significant development work began when the Department of Agriculture, with the help of the Commissioner Northern, began subdivision work on the land.
In 1980, after the land was cleared, the people of Cikobia showed an interest in the new land.
The department of Agriculture asked the European Economic Development (ECC) for help and the EEC helped with a road leading to the project, which had been subdivided into four sections totalling 110 blocks of which 92 were occupied or partly settled.
There were 57 full-time farmers, 20 of whom were from Dogotuki while others were from Cikobia and Udu including some part-time farmers.
It was expected that the remaining blocks would be occupied by the end of that year.
In the meantime, the EEC had given $208,000 for roadworks. Construction works, which was conducted by the Public Works Department, were scheduled for completion in the following four months.
The main objectives of the project were to resettle landless people of Cikobia and Udu with a target to plant 200 ha of cocoa.
The planting of root crops and yaqona was also part of the objectives.
So far 30 ha of cocoa, 13 ha of yaqona and about 10 ha of subsistence crops had been planted.
The Australian Government had shown interest in the project, and recently gave two chainsaws to the settlers.
