Apenisa Waqairadovu 
Aerial shot of Lautoka City. [File Photo]
Assistant Minister at the Office of the Prime Minister Sakiusa Tubuna has welcomed the long-overdue review of annuity payments for landowners in Suva and Lautoka.
As the Clan Leader of Daunivuwai in Suvavou Village, Tubuna revealed that landowners have been receiving an annual payment of $15,000, which he says is hardly sufficient.
He noted that the last review of these payments was conducted in 1998.
“At the moment that is quite insufficient for about 1,000 people in the village, 11 mataqali, and the three yavusa of Suvavou village. So, the people of Suvavou and the vanua of Suva, we welcome this initiative by government.”
However, Minister for Lands Filimoni Vosarogo says meeting these landowners has not always been easy, knowing they have not been fairly compensated.
“You meet the Turaga na Tui Suva, you meet the Turaga na Tui Vidilo—it’s not usually a nice or doesn’t make for a nice meeting when you know at the back of your head they have not been fairly compensated for the lands they sacrificed for national expansion.”
Vosarogo says landowners in Suva and Lautoka have contributed thousands of acres to the cities’ development but have been receiving the same annuity payments for over two decades.
The Minister points out that currently, landowners earn between fifteen to twenty thousand dollars annually, a figure set decades ago.
Vosarogo adds that the review aims to ensure that landowners receive payments that reflect the value of their land and allow them to develop their own communities.
Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad is expected to announce the changes in the upcoming 2025-2026 national budget.
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