Apenisa Waqairadovu 
The Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources is reviewing its rental schemes in an effort to recover millions of dollars in arrears owed by lessees holding state leases.
Minister Filimoni Vosarogo says the ministry is owed $23.8 million in rental arrears, which represents over 60.3 percent of the potential state lease revenue for 2023.
As the ministry works to collect the outstanding debts, Vosarogo states it is also exploring innovative ways to increase the yield of rentals and leases issued.
“As you know, people are subject to paying in the event that, for example, they do not do any development, so all of that is going to be reviewed because, as you understand, the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources is one of the revenue earners of the Ministries of Government, so we are looking at improving that as well.”
Vosarogo adds that the ministry is urging lessees with unpaid state leases to visit the nearest department office and pay their leases. With the ministry’s earning mandate, recovering rental arrears is crucial to the government’s revenue.
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