Riya Mala 
[Photo: FILE]
Concerns are rising over the lack of a national land-use plan, with warnings that it threatens the future of Fiji’s sugar industry and agriculture.
Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Chair Sakiusa Tubuna states that Fiji has roughly 50,000 hectares of land available for sugar, but uses only around 20,000 hectares.
Tubuna stresses the need to identify and protect agricultural land as housing and commercial developments expand into farming areas.
Tubuna is calling for a national land-use plan to clearly designate land for agriculture—particularly flat areas suitable for farming.
“I think that’s an area too that needs to be agendized: a national land-use plan. TLTB is doing this, but it’s only for their interest. We have to have a national land use plan where we demarcate all the flat areas to be used for agriculture. On the hilly lands, then you move up other land uses, like commercial housing.”
Tubuna adds that clear planning is essential to protect agricultural land and sustain the sugar industry over the long term.
Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary Dr Andrew Tukana says the Ministry is collaborating with the sugar sector to map farms and assess active land use.
“So one of the things that we came to see when we got in was that they estimate the potential cane production based on the land area without looking to see in those parcels of land how much is actually used to grow cane, and the rest is left idle.”
He added that drones will map the land, while soil testing will determine crop suitability, as the Ministry works with other agencies toward a national land-use plan.
