FOR a poultry business built around hatcheries, processing and cold storage, reliable electricity is not simply an operating cost. It can determine whether production runs smoothly, stock is protected, and market demand is met.
That is why installing a new solar power system and generator at Reddy Farm Pte Ltd in Vitogo, Lautoka, marks an important step in the continued growth of a business that began as a family farming venture and has developed into a commercial poultry operation.
Reddy Duck Farm was established in 1998 and registered in 2006. Its duck operation began with just 400 ducklings in 2004 and today includes its own hatchery, poultry sheds, slaughterhouse and processing facilities.
Alongside its Peking duck operation, the business has moved into free-range chicken production and supplies ducklings and chicks to smallholder farmers.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Industries, Commerce and Business Development, Manoa Kamikamica , said the Reddy family’s progress reflected years of commitment, investment and perseverance.
“This investment is not only about providing equipment. It is about enabling a local business to become more resilient, strengthen its productive capacity, create employment and contribute to Fiji’s local poultry industry,” Kamikamica said.
He said the challenge for many businesses was not a lack of ambition, but the cost of the equipment needed to move beyond their current production level.
“For many small business owners, the cost of essential equipment, whether it is renewable energy infrastructure, processing machinery or cold storage, is the single greatest barrier to growth.”
Through the Integrated Human Resource Development Programme, Fiji Government, contributed FJ$75,037.33 towards the project, while Reddy Farm contributed FJ$37,518.67.
The total investment of FJ$112,556 funded a solar panel system supplied by Star Bright Energy Fiji and a generator supplied by Clyde Equipment.
The new infrastructure will support some of the most critical parts of the operation, including the hatchery, poultry processing and cold storage, while providing backup power when required.
“Reliable power means fewer losses in the hatchery and cold storage,” Hon. Kamikamica said, adding that the benefits extend beyond the farm itself to workers and smallholder farmers who depend on Reddy Farm for ducklings and chicks.
“This is the multiplier effect that Government seeks through IHRDP: a single grant to one business supports not only that business’s own workers and their families, but ripples outward to suppliers, downstream farmers and the wider community.”
Reddy Farm currently employs nine people, including five women, three men and one person living with a disability. The project is expected to create six additional skilled and unskilled jobs as the business expands.
Kamikamica congratulated Mr Bhakti Reddy, his family and the Reddy Farm team, encouraging them to use the new infrastructure to strengthen production and continue building opportunities across the poultry value chain.
For Reddy Farm, the handover provides greater certainty to keep producing and growing. For the families, workers and farmers linked to the business, it strengthens an economic chain that reaches well beyond the farm gate.
Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs and Communications Minister Manoa Kamikamica hands over a certificate of grant to a representative of the Reddy Farm Pte Ltd of Vitogo, in Lautoka. Picture: MINISTRY OF TRADE, CCOPERATIVES, SMEs and COMMUNICATIONS.
