Snail farming (Heliculture) is a business that is still under crowded and still lucrative. It is a practical and viable business venture in Nigeria.
Snails are of different species such as: Archachatina marginata, Achativa fulila and Achatina Achatina however, Archachatina marginata is highly sought for and has a higher demand in Nigeria.
Snails are highly proteinous, contains iron and water with low fat and as such, prompts a higher consumption rate by humans and is eaten across the nation. So being a snail farmer or having a snail farm will be a good source of income.
Snail farming is another source of income because the snails that are supplied to Nigerian markets are hand picked from bushes and forest during the rainy season between April and September. So when the dry season comes, snails become scarce and demand will have to wait till next year. Having a snail farm will be an advantage to supplying snails to the market in and out of season.
Snails are highly demanded by hotels and restaurants, so if you have a snail farm, you can easily make supplies to them while the pay you.
If you want to make more sales from snail farming, allow them to mature properly before sending them out to the Market. Also, avoid the temptation of harvesting all matured snails at once. It is important to leave some matured snails so that the can form a base for your snail farm.
See steps to set up a snail farm:
1. Get a land/space
The intended land for snail farming should be spacious to contain the number of snails you wish to have. Having to put plenty snails in a small space will increase the risk of disease spread.
Also, a large space will not allow the snails to escape easily.
2. Decide on which specie to breed
When starting up choose the best specie of snails. You can go for Archachatina marginata or Achatina Achatina. When buying species from the market be sure to buy healthy snails.
3. The feeding of snails does not cost much unlike poultry feeds, part of the reason why it will fetch more money. You can use green leaves or fruits to feed snails.
Note that snails may take longer time to mature but can be a good source of income.
