Chicken coops at Garcia Farm in Railaco, Ermera.
At the end of a bumpy and heavily eroding road, across hills, fields and streams, sits the expansive chicken farm Garcia Farm. A few weeks ago, Peace Dividend Trust's Tender Distribution Service Associate Eduardo da Costa recommended to the Verification team that they take the one and a half hour journey to Railaco, Ermera to see the sight for themselves and create a business profile for it on the BuildingMarkets.org Online Procurement Database.
PDT Tender Distribution Service Associate Eduardo da Costa walking the rows of chickens.
With currently 24,000 chickens in the coop, the farm is setting itself up to be the number one supplier of chicken eggs and poultry meat in Timor-Leste. Not to mention it's quite a sight to see. The operation currently employs 21 local laborers, 9 male and 12 female. In addition to these, specialized technicians are flown in from Indonesia every three months to perform the necessary vaccinations and medical treatment needed to keep the chickens healthy.
The Verification team surveys the farm.
The farm has already garnered support from the government, with President Jose Ramos Horta and the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Arboriculture present at the launching ceremony. It has also been invested in by the Indonesian cigarette company, Djarum.
PDT is currently being funded by AusAid and The Arsenault Family Foundation
