The Minister for the Economy has announced that land evaluations by both the Ministry of Land and the Itaukei Land Trust Board will now be outsourced.

While delivering the 2021–2022 revised budget, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says this is to ensure that landowners get the true market value of their land.

He says this will also result in an efficient and impartial evaluation by sector experts.

The Minister says so many times the government has seen so much of the iTaukei land leased out without proper evaluation.

He says getting an independent evaluation will help landowners as well as leasers.

Sayed-Khaiyum also touched on the lengthy delays that people experience in the survey process before leases can be finalized.

He says the economy has suffered needlessly because of this inefficiency.

“We have set up a working group with the TLTB, Ministry of Land, Department of Land, Department of Town and Country Planning and the Ministry of Economy to address the backlogs of survey and streamline of processes moving forward. An MOU among this entity was signed today to establish a common purpose and commit the four agencies to cooperate fully and share information.”

Sayed-Khaiyum says $50,000 will be allocated for the facilitation of resolutions to lease complaints by the working group.

He says teams will be sent to the ground to attend to complaints on lease matters and ensure these issues are solved efficiently.

The Minister says an additional $100,000 has been provided to the Plan Assessment Unit of the Ministry of Land and Department of Town and Country Planning to provide additional staff primarily focused on assisting the working group to clear the backlog of surveys.