Mahogany: A Lost Primary Resource For Landowners
In the 1960s, a peppercorn fee of 10 cents per hectare was given to landowners as lease money.
by ivamere nataro
The mahogany plantation in Toberua, Galoa. Photo: Leon Lord
In return, landowners were promised fair and equitable returns and complete involvement in harvesting operations.
It was a verbal agreement under the then Alliance Government, led by the late former Prime Minister Ratu Kamisese Mara.
The first mahogany plantation trial station was established in Nukurua Village in Tailevu in 1961. The mataqali (clan) Toga had offered 100 acres.
Mahogany was first introduced into Fiji from Central America in 1911. It takes about 30 to 40 years for a tree to mature and ready for harvest.