Nigeria's animal feed industry entered a new phase on 30 September 2026, when UAC of Nigeria Plc agreed to sell its 73.29 per cent controlling stake in Livestock Feeds Plc to Sunbeth Treenuts and Sesame Limited for about 19.5 billion naira, roughly 14 to 15 million dollars. The price of 8.85 naira per share values one of the country's oldest feed businesses at a level many in the market did not expect, and the deal still awaits regulatory approval. Industry reports from Feed Business MEA and NextBigFarm describe it as one of the most significant feed-sector transactions Nigeria has seen in years.
A sixty-year-old feed maker changes hands
Livestock Feeds was established in 1963 by Pfizer to serve the animal-health and nutrition needs of Nigeria's first commercial livestock farms, installed its first mill at Ikeja in Lagos and later another in Aba, and has been listed on the Nigerian stock exchange since 1978. UAC took control in 2013 and, by its own account, grew revenue fivefold and profitability eighteenfold while expanding production capacity and the distribution network. Selling the stake now forms part of a wider portfolio reshaping at UAC, which had announced a week earlier the sale of its 43 per cent interest in DP World Logistics Limited.
Why a commodity trader is buying a feed mill
Sunbeth built its business on sourcing and trading agricultural commodities, with warehousing, supply-chain and processing capabilities. Buying Livestock Feeds moves it one step downstream, from selling raw materials to converting them into finished feed for poultry, aquaculture and livestock producers. The logic is the one reshaping feed markets across Africa: whoever controls raw-material origination and logistics controls a large part of feed cost, and feed represents 60 to 70 per cent of the cost of producing eggs and chicken meat. A trader with origination networks plus a manufacturer with mills and a nationwide distribution channel can, in theory, deliver feed at a more stable cost than either could alone.
What producers and feed buyers should watch
For Nigerian poultry and livestock farmers, the question many are asking is what the Sunbeth acquisition of Livestock Feeds means for feed prices and availability. Consolidation can bring real benefits — more consistent formulation, stronger purchasing power on maize and soybean meal, tighter quality control and wider availability of concentrates in the north and the southeast. It can also reduce the number of independent competitors bidding for the same raw materials, which is why farmer associations and regulators will watch how pricing behaves after completion. Buyers should use this transition period to review their own position: compare concentrate quality and technical support between suppliers, secure stable contracts for critical ingredients, and keep recording feed conversion batch by batch, so that every price change is judged against real flock performance.
For feed millers and integrated farms in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, this deal is also a reminder that professional nutrition pays. Jinmao Biotech supplies vitamin and mineral premixes and feed additives for poultry, cattle, pig and sheep feed, with technical support for mill formulation. Contact us on WhatsApp to discuss a formulation that fits your raw materials.