The Sugar Industry Tribunal has expressed concern at how large chunks of sugar farmlands are being sold off after approvals from the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources.
Registrar of the tribunal Timothy Brown said this was happening all around the country through re-zoning, and if not stopped “you and I won’t have a job because there will be no land to plant cane”.
“If you look outside Lautoka, the Lovu flats is gone. If you go to the back road in Nadi, that’s all gone,” he said.
“In Labasa the Wailevu flats will go – somebody applied to sub-divide 10 acres and when we got to this place, they had already sold another 24 acres to RB Patel.
“I am not going to approve the sub-division, but they are going to go behind me anytime because the industry, FSC, Growers Council and the Tribunal will only inspect and give its views.
“The authority to sub-divide rests with the Ministry of Lands and Town and Country Planning – and while they ask us for our views and when we go back, we find out that the land has been sub-divided.”
Mr Brown added the Saweni flats in Lautoka that used to be farms has also been re-zoned.
“We have refused three times – we wrote to the ministry – as we go forward, you and I won’t have a job. There will be no land to plant cane.
“The industry and the Government must take a very strong, principled approach on what we do.”