The commercial sector is heavily based on sugar, which, for the most part, is produced by independent Indian farmers. Sugar production is concentrated on the western side of Viti Levu and in the area around Labasa. The Fiji Sugar Corporation has a monopoly on milling and marketing.
Sugar is by far Fiji's largest export and accounts for more than one-half of all exports.
Except for a few years early in the 20th century, the alienation of native land has been prohibited since 1874, thus leaving 83 percent of all land under Fijian ownership. Farmers of other races operate on leaseholds of up to 30 years under the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Act. Fijian land ownership is in the hands of mataqali , or clan groups, but may be administered through the Native Lands Trust Board. Tourism is almost as large an earner of foreign exchange as sugar. Fiji is strategically located for air travelers from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Japan and is a major destination for tourist cruises.