Jasim Khan:

Kazi Farms, country’s leading poultry hatchery has propelled their business with the mindset of western educated second generation who introduced innovative byproduct, information technology, media and professionals to run family business first hatchery by-product processing plant

The shift from a localized entrepreneurial startup to a highly modernized corporate empire is heavily credited to Kazi Zahedul Hasan’s western educated sons: Kazi Zahin Hasan, Kazi Zeeshan Hasan, and Kazi Urfi Hasan.

The new generation backed with western Ivy League and liberal arts education back to Bangladesh, for instance, director Kazi Zahin Hasan holds an economics degree from Oberlin College and a master’s degree from Columbia University.

The major innovation into the group In 2024, it established Bangladesh’s first dedicated hatchery by-product processing plant, converting hatchery waste into usable raw materials to curb environmental pollution. The spearheaded also diversified outside agriculture and invested in Media and Technology. They established Deepto TV (under Kazi Media), a highly rated satellite television channel in Bangladesh, and Sysnova Information Systems, a technology solutions provider.

The corporate legatee introduced into the group corporate professionalism from shifting day-to-day operations to external professionals, appointing corporate veteran Gazi M Shamsuddin as the Chief Executive Officer.

With their hands Kazi Farms secured exclusive franchises as the Bangladesh Grand-Parent supplier for world-class poultry genetic lines including Aviagen Indian River/Ross, Hendrix SASSO, and Hy-Line layers.

The group commands roughly 34% of the broiler grand-parent stock in Bangladesh. Its ecosystem features multiple GP farms, over a dozen hatchery units, feed mills, and commercial egg operations.

By utilizing a contract farming system, Kazi Farms delivers day-old chicks, veterinary medicine, and feed directly to marginal farmers. They guarantee buy-backs of fully grown broilers to protect local farmers from severe price drops.

Through its consumer brand Kazi Farms Kitchen, the group expanded successfully into frozen foods and fast-food franchising, commanding over 150 outlets nationwide.

Kazi Farms was founded by Kazi Zahedul Hasan. It began its journey in 1996 as a small hatchery for imported poultry eggs. Understanding that dependency on imported parent stock limited local scalability, the group quickly integrated backward to build its own Parent Farms in 1997 and Grand-Parent (GP) farms in 2004.

Kazi Farms Group is the largest player in Bangladesh’s poultry industry, dominating the market in the production of eggs, broilers, and day-old chicks. The group has transformed poultry farming from a fragmented, rural operation into a highly structured, multi-billion Taka vertically integrated enterprise.5]

For the fiscal year ending June 2023, the group posted revenues of BDT 39.38 billion with a pre-tax profit of BDT 1.75 billion.

Like many large conglomerates in emerging markets, Kazi Farms Group has faced public and legal scrutiny over market manipulations. However, examining the claims against factual evidence reveals sharp nuances.