A Brief History of our City
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi and port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji’s sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar City.
According to legend, Fiji’s second-largest city derives its name from a battle cry that means ‘spear-hit’. The story goes that when an argument erupted between two local chiefs, one cried out the words Lau -Toka meaning “spear –hit” or “hit to win” as he killed the other by spearing him through the chest, simultaneously stating the obvious and naming the location.
The development of Lautoka perhaps began in 1899 when sugar milling company, Colonial Sugar Refining Company Limited made an application to the government to build a wharf at Lautoka in order to export sugar from western Viti Levu. In that year it had decided to build a sugar mill in Lautoka which was completed in 1903.
The first known European sighting of the Lautoka area took place on 7 May 1789. Captain William Bligh spotted and roughly charted the coasts of Lautoka while making his epic voyage to Timor, in the wake of the mutiny on the Bounty.
Economic Activities
Lautoka is known as the Sugar City because of its sugar cane belt areas. The main Lautoka Sugar Mill was founded in 1903, and is the city’s biggest employer by far. Built for the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (Fiji) (CSR) by workers from India and the Solomon Islands between 1899 and 1903, it hires some 1,300 employees today. Other industries include timber milling, garment manufacturing, distillery, brewery, jewellery, blending, steelworks, fishing, hatchery, domestic items, paints, and construction. In 2012 Lautoka was announced as the administrative capital of the western division.
Lautoka as an Investment City.
Lautoka City is the progressive city. Being a progressive city, with the second largest port of entry makes Lautoka an ideal place for your investments. Many local and foreign companies have made their mark in Lautoka. Such investments include the establishment of Punjas Flour and Biscuits Factory, Pacific Cables, Apex Offshore Marine Mining and the list goes on. Most of these investments are located within the range of the Port of Lautoka.
More information on investment in Lautoka can be obtained from Investment Fiji.
See History Timeline
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1875
City Council founded
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1954
First Election Conducted
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1997
Expand the field of activity
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2018
Becoming a Smart City
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