There is a push to revive the poultry industry in Samoa in order to cut the reliance on imported poultry products.

This is a move mooted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries along with the Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Laaulialemalietoa Polataivao said Samoa is heavily reliant on imported chicken meat.

He said the price of chicken in recent months has gone up and through reviving Samoa’s poultry industry, meat can be affordable and healthier.

"Samoa had never depended on chicken meat from overseas. We usually had our own chickens in our backyards two to three decades ago. It was a lifestyle our parents had. They were farming chickens for food on the table and we never depended on the imported poultry like the ones we have," he said.

Laauli said the majority of families in Samoa are unable to eat chicken meat when the imported poultry is delayed.

"Let's bring back the lifestyle of farming where we used to have our own chicken farms. The Samoan chicken (moa-Samoa) is organic meat,”

"We import over thousands of chicken boxes each year, the main goal is for us to consider farming chicken again and grow the industry locally and cut down on the food import bill.”

Laauli applaudded the hard work by the poultry producers and encouraged them to develop and produce more for food and nutrition security.

The event was a first of its kind. The aim was to bring together chicken farmers to help realise the potential marketability of the local chicken either for breeding or for consumption. It was an opportunity for them to exchange views, test the agreed selling price for their products, meet and greet clients and share knowledge and experience with interested members of the public.

The market day was seen as a platform for poultry farmers to enhance visibility of poultry products and to deliver on consumer expectations.

This activity was made possible through the FAO Technical Cooperation Project titled: “Support to address vulnerabilities to agriculture, nutrition and food security due to COVID-19”.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries launched their sector plan earlier this year and the key objective is to grow both industries so reliance on imported food can be minimised.