By Luana Paniu

The chairman of a landowner company has pledged that he and other dissatisfied landowners will not cease fighting against agriculture giant New Britain Palm Oil (NBPOL) until their terms and conditions are met.

Rigula Landowners Association chairman, David Kura said that he and landowners of the three land groups; Gule, Rikau and Meloks, were not happy with what they described as “standard” terms and conditions set by NBPOL under the Special Agriculture and Business Leases (SABL).

Mr Kura claimed that at this time, they are only receiving 10 percent royalty payment from commercial agriculture products.

He said for years they had been trying to negotiate with the company for many years feeling that they had not been given their due.

“We did not make any input into these terms and agreements by NBPOL,” he said.

He said this was the very reason why they would not surrender the land title which is a detrimental part of the head lease before a sub-lease to the company giving approval for them to operate.

“It’s not that we don’t want NBPOL, but we want them to review these terms and conditions so that we can cease fighting,” he said.

“We don’t want to continue like this and then all parties lose out on the benefits,” he said.

He said relevant ministers are still not intervening and are not aware of the current situation.

But NBPOL has refuted these claims and stated that the development agreement they signed was only between the three land groups; Gule, Rikau and Meloks.

They said that David Kura did not have any standing making these statements since he is not a party to the development agreement.

NBPOL said Mr Kura had caused a few problems for developments they are bringing and he has even gone as far as threatening to take the matter to the Commission Of Inquiry in West New Britain that commenced on Tuesday.

“He is most welcome to take the matter up with the Inquiry, but when NBPOL’s presence was there, David Kura did not appear and when the Commissioners asked if there were anymore disgruntled landowners, David Kura and none of his mates were there to submit anything,” they said.

NBPOL further explained that they are a public company who hold annual forums and conduct external audits and even gauge the views of stakeholder consultants and the general public including the landowners.

They also said that certain executives supporting Mr Kura were made up of a faction of the three landowner companies and most were not in agreement to what he was doing.
NBPOL has so far issued summons on the three landowner groups to surrender the head lease which they say is being held by David Kura and his friends.

“We have spent millions of kina on this oil palm project and need this headlease which also includes the land title because the only way to register NBPOL’s sub-lease interest was to register the head lease,” they said.

So far, a total of 3000 hectares have been subleased to NBPOL for the mini estates located on; Milinch Magigi for portion 2562C at Rikau, Portion 2562C at Gule and 2564C at Meloks.