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September 12th 1999
State allocates $40m for upgrade
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Speaking at a press conference in Sydney on Friday, Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry said the tourism industry was so far the best potential investment in Fiji.
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GOVERNMENT will allocate $40 million in next year's Budget to improve support infrastructure such as roads, water supply, electricity and telecommunications.
Speaking at a press conference in Sydney on Friday, Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry said the tourism industry was so far the best potential investment in Fiji.
He said there were ideal development sites available in the West and along the Coral Coast, with hotel chains like Four Seasons and Hilton already committed to building hotels at Natadola.
"My Government on its part is committed (in our Budget next year) to spend $40 million in providing the necessary support infrastructure like tarsealed road, water supply, electricity and digital telecommunications," he told journalists.
On problems surrounding ALTA, Mr Chaudhry described his Cabinet's meeting with the Native Land Trust Board In Labasa as historic, accusing the previous government of failing to initiate such a move. |
The crux of the land issue in Fiji is that much of this four million tonnes of cane is produced on Native or Fijian owned land.
"This land cannot be sold. It can only be leased. Eighty-three per cent of land in Fiji is owned by indigenous Fijians but the majority of tenants are Indians.
"So we are engaged in negotiations on arriving at an amicable solution to ensuring, that agricultural land is made available for farming to the benefit of the landowners, the tenants and for our economy as a whole.
"That is why It was urgent and crucially important for my Government to take this critical first step to establish direct dialogue with the Native Land Trust Board.
"Yet it is very clear that unless and until there is an accommodation and agreement between Government and the Native Land Trust Board, there can be no amicable solution."
In promoting agriculture and the garment industry as having major potential for foreign investors, Mr Chaudhry said local investors have shown confidence in the country by expanding their investments.
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