Decisions made at the 8th Cabinet Meeting held on 20 May 2025

20/05/2025


The decisions of Cabinet at its meeting today include the following:
  1.  
  2. 1. Special Sugarcane Payment from Government for 2024 Crop Season
Cabinet endorsed a special cane payment (with no deductions), totalling FJ$7,658,552 (VIP), from Government to support farmers in their preparation for the upcoming 2025 cane crushing season.
 
Under the Master Award, sugarcane farmers are paid sugarcane proceeds in five instalments:
  1. (i) the first payment, known as the delivery payment, is made during harvesting;
  2. (ii) the second payment is usually made in January, after cane crushing stops;
  3. (iii) the third payment is made in March;
  4. (iv) the fourth payment is made in May; and
  5. (v) the final payment, also referred to as “wash-up” payment, is made in October.
  6.  

To date, farmers have received a total of 3 payments (first, second and third) totaling $69.63 per tonne for the 2024 season, with two additional payments scheduled for May 2025 (fourth) and October 2025 (final).
 
The 2024 crushing season faced numerous challenges including prolonged dry weather, rising production costs, labour shortages, and slow recovery from climate-related disasters. These constraints directly impacted farmers’ ability to meet production targets in 2024 and to adequately prepare for the upcoming 2025 cane crushing season.
 
The additional $5.00 per tonne special payment is to allow farmers to be equipped with the necessary capital and labour before the commencement of the 2025 crushing season in early June.
 

  1. 2. Second Redeployment of Funds within the Revised 2024-2025 Budget
Cabinet approved redeployment of funds within the 2024- 2025 Budget amounting to FJ$ 7,658,552 (VIP) to cater for the special cane payment by the Ministry of Multi–Ethnic Affairs and Sugar Industry (Ministry).

The current funding provision in the Sugar Stabilisation Fund is insufficient to cover the special cane payment.
 
Savings identified under various allocations amounting to $7,658,552 will be redeployed to meet the additional funding demands.
 
  1. 3. National Forest and Rural Fire Management Strategy
Cabinet endorsed the National Forest and Rural Fire Management Strategy.
 
The Strategy aims to sustainably manage Fiji’s forested and rural landscapes by reducing unplanned fires and promoting best-practice fire use through coordinated governance, community engagement, and strengthened legislative frameworks.
 
Implementation will be guided by a lead agency and a multi-sectoral Governance Committee, with annual monitoring, reporting, and reviews to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
 
  1. 4. Government Committed to Freehold Land Buy-Back Scheme
Cabinet agreed that funding be provided in the next financial year for the freehold land buy back scheme.
 
In 1989, Government had formalised the freehold buy-back scheme with the objective of assisting iTaukei landowners who have little or no cultivable agricultural land in buying back ancestral land alienated as freehold land. 
 
The scaling up of the scheme in the upcoming financial year is intended to address:
  1. (i) growing population of landowners in need of residential housing;
  2. (ii) proposed and clear financing arrangements;
  3. (iii) investment opportunities for landowners; and
  4. (iv) landowners’ intergenerational grievances.
 
  1. 5. Review of the State Lands Act 1945
Cabinet has endorsed the review of the State Lands Act 1945.
 
The Act was initially enacted on 15 June 1888 as the Crown Land Ordinance No. IV of 1888. The latest edition of reviewing this Crown Land Ordinance was enacted in 1945 as the Crown Lands Act Cap 132.
 
A total of eighteen reviews or amendments were done since the last review in 1945. However, a thorough and comprehensive review of the Act has not been undertaken to address the current/emerging land issues and solutions.
 
The review of the Act will amongst others address penalty issues, and collection of rental arrears and addressing rent defaulters, as well as update fine and fees. 
 
A review committee comprising representatives from resource-based sectors will be established to support the review process.
 
  1. 6. Licensing Framework for Community-Based FM Sound Broadcasters
Cabinet agreed that a specific licensing category for community-based FM sound broadcasters be introduced.
 
This is in recognition of the important role played by community-based FM broadcasters in promoting access to information, cultural preservation, civic engagement, and the dissemination of public service content, especially in rural and marginalised communities.
 
Amendments will be made to Schedule 4 of the Telecommunications Regulations 1955 to establish a fixed licence fee for community-based FM sound broadcasters.
 
The current licensing and fee structure under Schedule 4 of the Telecommunications Regulations 1955 applies a broad and uniform approach to all broadcasting entities.
 
This framework does not account for smaller, non-profit community broadcasters whose operational models and target audiences are significantly different from commercial broadcasters.
 
  1. 7. Ratu Sukuna Day Celebrations 2025
Cabinet was briefed on the 2025 Ratu Sukuna Day celebrations.
 
The 2025 Ratu Sukuna Day celebration will be held in Labasa.
 
The theme for the 2025 celebrations is "Celebrating Visionary Leadership in the North". The theme highlights Ratu Sukuna's enduring leadership legacy and acknowledges the Northern Division's contributions to Fiji's national identity and progress.
 
Ratu Sukuna Day is a national public holiday to honour the life and legacy of Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, a visionary leader, scholar, soldier, and statesman whose contributions to Fiji's development remain foundational.
 
  1. 8. Fiji to Host Pacific Legislative Drafters’ Steering Committee Conference
Cabinet agreed that Fiji host the Pacific Legislative Drafters’ Steering Committee (PLDC) Conference in September 2025.
 
The PLDC provides essential resources to enhance the capacity and expertise of the Pacific region’s legislative drafters.
 
PLDC’s objectives are to:
  1. (i) advance the skills and capacity of legislative drafters in PILON member countries; and
  2. (ii) advance regional cooperative and networking amongst legislative drafters.
 
  1. 9. Second Asia-Pacific Regional Review of the Implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration
Cabinet has agreed that Fiji express an interest to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to become a Global Compact for Migration Champion Country, as the first within the Pacific region.
 
This follows Fiji’s participation at the Second Asia-Pacific Regional Review of the Implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) held in Bangkok from 4–6 February 2025.
 
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) is an intergovernmental agreement covering all dimensions of international migration holistically and comprehensively.
 
The GCM Champion countries initiative is a voluntary collective of IOM Member States committed to promoting effective GCM implementation, follow-up and review. 
 
  1. 10. Strengthening Refugee Status Determination Process in Fiji
Cabinet endorsed the co-signing of Version One of the joint Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) between the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Ministry of Immigration (Ministry).
 
Under Fiji’s obligations as a party to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (collectively, the Refugee Convention), the Ministry is required by Part 6 of the Immigration Act 2003 to conduct RSD when a person declares themselves as an asylum seeker at the border.
 
The internal joint RSD SOP is an operational tool to define the Ministry and UNHCR’s contributions to joint RSD processes, supporting more efficient workflows and anti-fraud measures.
 
  1. 11. Hosting of the 18th Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Policy and Regulation Forum for the Pacific
Cabinet endorsed the hosting of the 18th Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) Policy and Regulatory Forum for the Pacific (PRFP) in August 2025.
 
APT is an intergovernmental organisation established in February 1979 with the aim of promoting ICT development in the Asia-Pacific region. Fiji has been a member of the APT since 1999.
 
The PRFP is a key sub-regional activity of the APT which brings policy makers and regulators of the Pacific sub-region to share best practices and experiences for the common benefits of the members.
 
Fiji last hosted the PRFP in 2017.