Frankie's Company Limited has opened a new $3.5 million poultry farm at Tanumalala.

The opening ceremony of the new farm was held at the back of Frankie's supermarket branch with Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr. Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, giving the keynote address.

Mayday Cai, who owns the supermarket chain in Samoa with her husband Frankie Cai, said the farm will specialise in producing eggs and chicken.

Currently, the local retail market is unable to supply eggs to meet the demand, with Mrs. Cai indicating that a majority of the eggs supplied originate from Fiji and most edible chicken meat comes from American Samoa.

But that should change next year.

Mr. Cai is hopeful Samoan-produced poultry products will be exported to the American Samoa and the Cook Islands markets.

The company is also investing in technology that will be able to identify healthy and edible poultry products, ensuring that those that do not meet the standards are discarded.

The farm is being built on 1.5 acre of land with about 3 acres of earmarked for the farm’s extension and development. 

The company is looking at producing 50,000 chickens onsite next year. 

With this number, about 40,000 eggs are projected to be produced per day resulting in 30,000 dozens of eggs.

Currently, about 10 workers are taking care of the farm and if possible 10 more will be recruited when the plan for the farm’s extension pushes through next year.

Farming specialist, Papali'i Panoa Tavita, is providing advice to the company on how to improve the farm.

“We’re only advisors for this project in terms of choosing which is good or bad for the farm and the type of food they should be fed on and the type of chickens,” he said.

Mrs. Cai acknowledged the support of the Government, the Ministries and the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Lopaoo Natanielu Mua.

“As said by Frankie, it’s not easy because it’s a project that is very new to our hands as everyone knows, we’re only specialized in the supermarkets,” she said.