“Affirmative,” says Taimalie Charlie Westerlund to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi compliments that the Ah Liki Investment Group is investigating the possibilities for Samoa to meet its own meat imported needs.
Taimalie, chairman of the investment group and, the Tanumapua Poultry Farm owner says that initially the group is targeting chicken import substitution while it building up its cattle and piggery livestock capacities.
“It’s been in the planning stages and we are implementing the import substitution project by stages which we hope to start commissioning on a small scale by next year,” said Taimalie in an exclusive interview with this publication.
“For your information, the initial target is for our poultry import needs to be slashed by half and replaced by home-grown chicken products and by-products.
“The aim is to reduce chicken imports by 50%,”
“Samoa imports 60 containers of chicken meat every month.”
But for chicken meat to take off, Taimalie says he’ll need to bring in chicken bred specifically for its meat.
“We have identified the right chicken breed exclusively to substitute imported chickens. And if everything works as planned, we will start on a small scale by next year and slowly build up to eventually stake a major foothold in chicken import before tackling beef and piggery.
“There are other contributing factors which are also in play that includes having our own abattoir or working in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture.
“All in all, the ultimate goal is to reduce reliance on imports.”
He is using the success of his Tanumapua poultry farm which, he says, now accounts for 75% of local egg retail.
“The egg farm is proof that producing our own chicken can be done.
“Our eggs are of a higher and healthier quality and, certainly much fresher than imported eggs. And prices we are offering are very reasonable too.”
Back to Prime Minister Tuilaepa.
The government leader has nothing but praises for the Ah Liki Investment Group.
.”This is a family who are very very smart when it comes to business investment,” complimented Tuilaepa when he officially opened the commercial inter-island airline company, Talofa Airways co-owned by Maria Westerlund-Hunter, (Taimalie’s younger sister) and her husband and airline’s Chairman Toleafoa Jeffery Hunter.
“The family is not investing all of its egg in one basket knowing very well the high risk of losing it all when disaster strikes.
“They (Investment Group) are in the Pharmaceutical business, banking, wholesale, poultry and export and trade to name a few.
“These business investments have all contributed to the government coffers through taxes and they are also providing employment and income for our people.
“I am more than impressed with what the family have accomplished and I look forward to the propose import substitute vision to become a reality.”
Photo: Taimalie Charlie Westerlund