Tonga to raise power-producing chickens

Tonga is working on a project to raise six million chickens to produce electricity.

The Minister of Agriculture, Lord Tu'ilakepa, told parliament Israel has initiated the project, while equipment is coming from Germany.

He said 500 acres of corn would need to be grown to feed the chickens.

And although the main objective is to produce electricity from chicken manure, the project will also cut frozen chicken imports.

The chickens to be raised locally would not only provide eggs but also meat as chicken has become a mainstay in the Tongan diet for the past three decades.