Interim agriculture minister Jainend Kumar said the offer made by the Tui Ba i Bulu, Ratu Sairusi Na-gagavoka is to a foreign investor who is planning to plant trees for the bio fuel industry

Kumar said nothing has been finalised yet and refused to comment further on the matter.

Ratu Sairusi confirmed to Village news today that he is willing to sell more than 500 acres of land which he owns in Koronubu, to the government for farming development.

The Ba High Chief said he came up with the idea, after a group of chiefs led by Ratu Timoci Vesikula visited Malaysia in 2000 and saw that the Malaysian government had bought land from landowners and utilised it for 5 years.

He said government officials have again visited him this week and he still agrees that he is willing to sell 500 acres for farming development, he added that he was informed that the government would buy the land and work closely with some Chinese farmers for its full utilisation.