Farmers Union buys land for evictees

Issue No: 992; 2 August 2001

 
The National Farmers Union has purchased 25 acres of land for the settlement of farmers evicted by the regime and the Native Land Trust Board.

The land, in Ba, would be subdivided into 55 lots allowing each family a third of an acre plot fort housing and gardens. Union Secretary Mahendra Chaudhry stated that this was a "humanitarian gesture"

Thousands of farmers, mostly ethnic Indians, have been evicted from land which they had farmed for decades. The regime has refused to assist the evictees, instead preferring to provide cash grants to landowners to "develop" the land farmed by the evictees. The racist policies of the Qarase regime has been condemned by the entire farming community.

The Farmers Union, which backs the Fiji Labour Party, has called for the rehabilitation of the cash grants for the farmers who are evicted.

The People's Coalition Government had put in place a $28,000 resettlement grant for evictees. The Qarase regime scrapped this scheme. The National Federation Party, which had condemned the Labour Party for the policy of $28,000 grant, remained silent when the Qarase group scrapped the grant. In condemning the People's Coalition Government, the NFP had asked for $50,000.

Now, when the National Farmers Union has acquired land to settle evicted farmers, the NFP has condemned it saying it's a political ploy.

 

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