A Papua New Guinea NGO says the granting of Special Agriculture and Business Leases or SABLs for customary land is daylight robbery.
The acting Prime Minister Sam Abal has imposed a moratorium on SABLs and announced that a commission of inquiry is to be launched.
The programme manager for Act Now, Effrey Dademo, says there has been a public outcry over the granting of leases.
"It's daylight robbery. There's certain ways of obtaining customary land and this one is almost like compulsory acquisition and compulsory acquisition can only happen under certain circumstances under the Land Act."
Effrey Dademo says Special Agriculture and Business Leases have been granted for about 5.2 million hectares of customary land.
