When Dr Chaim Zach exchanged the quiet corridors of his native Israel for the bustling markets of Lagos in 1991, few could have imagined the seismic ripple his vision would send through Nigeria’s agricultural mosaic. Through Agric International Technology & Trade (AGRITED), he has forged a vertically integrated enterprise that delivers day-old chicks, premium premixes, veterinary supplies and turn-key farm solutions to thousands of producers across the country.
The company’s relentless double-digit growth, averaging 21 per cent annually over two decades, underscores its pivotal role in meeting a soaring demand for protein, while its state-of-the-art,breeding facilities have set new benchmarks for biosecurity and productivity. A graduate of Tel Aviv University’s law faculty in 1973, Zach first cut his teeth in the public sector before founding Target Limited, a chemical firm in Israel. He later assumed the vice-presidency of PTE Industries in Louisiana, overseeing the production of fire-retardant chemicals for the American market. In 1988 he launched Gedi Enterprises in London, where he crafted twenty-three varieties of artisanal goat cheese, tending a herd of seven hundred goats on a farm in Potter’s Bar.
Before his Nigerian odyssey, he served as general director and chief executive of the city of Herzliya, managing 1300 public-sector employees. In 1991 he brought this eclectic patchwork of experience to Nigeria, establishing AGRITED and steering it into a leading agribusiness that blends cutting-edge hatchery technology with a distribution network that reaches even the mostn remote farms.
Today, Zach is recognized as one of the most innovative and impactful professionals propelling Nigeria’s agricultural sector forward. Colleagues and competitors alike admire his unwavering integrity, his efficiency-driven expertise and a leadership style that inspires rather than dictates. By championing professional ethics, patience and diligent work, he has become a living blueprint for a new generation of agribusiness leaders, proving that the courage to cross borders – from the comfort of the familiar to the challenge of the unknown – can yield both personal fulfilment and
national prosperity.
When asked what fuels his relentless drive, the poultry technologist replied, “I wish to leave behind a legacy of food-nutrition concentration to the transformation of Nigeria’s poultry industry from traditional into modern and the most efficient in the sector. I have the passion to do things here not considering the profits; I love Nigeria and I feel at home here.” With a workforce that has swelled to seven hundred employees and an annual expansion of roughly twenty per cent, his ambition is less a statement of numbers than a pledge to reshape the nation’s protein landscape. He
envisioned a future where every plate carries the weight of a well-balanced diet, and he backs that vision with a hands-on approach that treats each hatchling as a stepping stone toward national
health.
He recalled the early hurdles with a measured tone: “There were a lot of challenges but we were focused on our mission to establish a world-class poultry farm.” Under his stewardship AGRITED has introduced rigorous biosecurity protocols, deploying state-of-the-art sensors and controlled-access systems to thwart disease ingress. The results speak loudly – per-capita protein consumption has leapt from 120 g in 1991 to 1.5 kg in 2023, a rise of over a thousand per cent in a single generation. With Nigeria’s population ballooning from ninety million to 228 million and projected to reach 450 million by 2050, the scale of the challenge is matched only by the scale of the opportunity.
Passionate about driving AGRITED’s vision with integrity and professionalism, he outlined a strategic roadmap that stretches beyond 2050: “We have plans up to 2050 and beyond, which is another one-plus generation.” Rapid urbanisation has lifted the proportion of city-dwelling Nigerians from roughly eighteen per cent in the early 1990s to 53.5 per cent today, a trend set to rise to seventy per cent by mid-century. This demographic shift, he argues, will pivot demand from field-sourced protein to higher-value, processed options, creating a market niche that AGRITED is poised to fill. Moreover, he is determined to re-educate both small-scale and medium-scale producers, urging them to shift “from cost orientation to yield orientation,” a mindset change that he believes will unlock the sector’s full potential and ensure that Africa’s most populous nation does not lag in protein consumption.
The company’s core operation remains a massive breeding programme,producing and distributing millions of broiler and layer day-old chicks to commercial farms across the nation. From its state-of-the-art Blue Plains farm in Oyo – boasting 320, 000 Ross 308 parent birds, a Pasreform hatchery capable of incubating over four million eggs at any one time, and an integrated premix line with a fully equipped quality-control laboratory – to the White Plains facility that houses 33 000 heavy breeders and a 1.6 million-egg hatchery, AGRITED’s vertically integrated model ensures a steady flow of high-quality chicks to thousands of small, medium and large producers.
Complementing the hatcheries, the firm supplies a comprehensive suite of animal-nutrition products. Its turnkey solutions team designs, builds and manages entire poultry complexes for investors, while the consultancy arm advises livestock organisations on best practice, biosecurity and yield optimisation. The result is a resilient supply chain that not only meets the ever-increasing domestic demand for protein but also positions Nigeria as a competitive player in
the global poultry market. Beyond the farm gates, AGRITED is projecting a bold trajectory that mirrors its 21 % average annual growth over the past two and a half decades. With revenue expanding at a double-digit pace, the company is investing in new breeding sites such as Silver Plains and expanding its aquaculture fingerling programme to diversify into fish farming. By coupling cutting-edge biosecurity measures with a customer-centric distribution network that reaches even the most remote farms, AGRITED is not merely supplying inputs; it is shaping a more efficient,
yield-focused agricultural sector that will be ready to feed a projected 450 million Nigerians by
2050.
One of the latest additions to AGRITED’s portfolio, the Blue Plains farm, rises beside the Ibadan-Oyo Town Expressway in Fiditi, Oyo State, heralding a new era for Nigeria’s poultry sector. Designed as a fully integrated hub, it will accommodate 220,000 Ross 308 parent birds and 120 000 pullets in the growing stage, while a state-of-the-art Pas reform hatchery will incubate close to four million eggs at any one time. Complementing the hatchery are a fully equipped premix production line, a quality-control laboratory, a feed mill and extensive grain and vaccine storage facilities. The farm’s scale is matched only by its ambition: alongside the existing White Plains core breeding operation – which houses 33 000 heavy breeders, 18 000 light breeders and a combined Emka-Pas reform hatchery capable of 1 632 000 eggs, and the Green Plains pullet facility, which raises 40 000 birds and includes a 1 200 m² storage warehouse, AGRITED now
commands a network that stretches from the rolling fields of Oyo to the bustling markets of Lagos. As Dr Zach observed,
“The demand for AGRITED’s products is purely because of the quality. The high quality of our products, which has driven unprecedented demand, is the catalyst for further investment and expansion.”Beyond the fences, AGRITED’s commitment to the communities that host its farms is evident in a series of corporate-social programmes that have become a hallmark of its operational philosophy.
Schools, churches and modest health posts have been erected in the vicinity of each site, forging arapport that Dr Zach describes as reciprocal: “We always support the communities we find ourselves in; a more friendly community receives more support from us, and we have built a strong relationship with every locality through capacity-building and infrastructural projects.” The company’s forward-looking roadmap includes the introduction of high-tech vegetable greenhouses and an aquaculture hatchery at Blue Plains, promising to diversify output and embed sustainabilityinto the core of its business.
By marrying cutting-edge biosecurity with tangible social investment,AGRITED is not merely expanding its production capacity but is shaping a resilient, self-sufficient food ecosystem for a nation on the cusp of unprecedented demographic change.
In appreciation of his competence and commitment to the agricultural sector, Dr Zach has been honoured with a Doctor of Science, honoris causa, in leadership and corporate governance from the European-American University in the Commonwealth of Dominica, a distinction that underscored his reputation for integrity and strategic vision. The accolade followed his recognition as the 2020 Business Person of the Year by Inside Business Africa, a platform on which he recalled addressing foreign investors with a measured lecture.
In the first half-hour he outlined the perils of corruption and economic volatility, then spent the remaining hour illuminating Nigeria’s vast opportunities, concluding that, when he placed the negatives and positives on a scale, the latter had tipped the balance decisively in favour of the country’s future. This blend of candid appraisal and buoyant optimism had become his trademark, shaping a narrative that turned
sceptics into believers and reinforced his role as a catalyst for responsible investment in the
