Mr. Tadzio Okhiria and Mr. Cajetan Ochu are close friends. They are not only bound by love but business. Both are graduates of reputable higher institutions. But they run a commercial snail venture. Tadzio is the Director of SnailCare Farms, while Cajetan is his deputy. They rear and sell snails for a living. It could seem weird seeing these two handsome, energetic and ebullient young men squatted, and tending to sluggish and tepid creatures like snails. Many on seeing them could readily jeer at them for wasting their time paying attention to snails like children.
But Tadzio and Cajetan would eagerly tell anyone that cares to listen that, snails are fascinating creatures, and snail farming is a very interesting venture. “Snail farming is very profitable,” Tadzio said. “But people just see them, and erroneously conclude that since it is a slow creature, then it implies that it would yield money slowly. But this is far from truth.” Tadzio has been in the business since 1998 it was established by his late father, Mr. Eddie Okhiria. “My father went into snail farming after he lost his job in the bank. As he was wondering what next to do to put food on the table, he read an article in a newspaper. The columnist wrote about the potentials of snail farming. That was how my father tapped into it. He started small, experienced rough times, especially at the early stage but he later grew big in the venture.” And after 17 years, SnailCare Farm, situated in the Okokomaiko outskirts of Lagos, has contiuned to wax stronger. Tadzio, together with Cajetan, are like crusaders that are poised to convert idle youths over into snail farming.
Time was when people source for snails through traditional means. Back then, snails were handpicked from the bush usually at night. That was how the only way to get snails to the market and on dinner tables. However, with continued increase in Nigeria’s population, and uncontrolled depletion of tropical forests through urbanization, the supply of snails cannot meet the with the increasing demand for the meaty mollusc. Hence artificial intervention like rearing snails in a pen is the only way to satisfy the growing demand. And this has created an opportunity in the market for snail breeders and farmers, who now cultivate these interesting creatures in small farms and in their backyards, for impressive profits.
Many farmers and business consultants attest that the market opportunities for snail farming in Nigeria are immense. According to them snail farming is an unusual business that can give one huge rewards. The viability of snail business is hinged on the high demand for its meat, the shells and slimy liquid it secretes. Snail meat is high in protein and contains low cholesterol. This makes it a personal favourite of many Nigerians who are dieting or people who abhor the carcinogenic contents found in many other kinds of meat. Again the delectable taste of snail meat when prepared has made it a recurring item on the menus of many luxury hotels, restaurants and bars. Also the slime from these snails are used by cosmetic companies to produce soap and cream. Furthermore, snails could be exported to get needed foreign exchange for the economy. Business consultant, Mr. Alex Odika hints: “It makes a lot of sense to take maximum advantage and go into snail farming because there is growing demand for the Giant African Land Snails (GALS) in European and Asian countries.”
Another advantage in snail farming is the lesser hassle of raising snails when compared to rearing other forms of livestock like piggery, poultry, fishery and others. “In terms of cost and time, snail farming is a low risk business. Unlike many other livestock businesses, snail farming requires very little start up and operating costs. It can be run from your backyard or a piece of land wasting away in your neighbourhood or village. Also snails are friendly to the environment and their droppings are not offensive (unlike pigs and poultry). So there’s no chance of constituting nuisance to your neighbourhood,” says Cajetan Ochu of Snailcare Farms.
One important step to take before delving into snail farming is to get trained to get the basic practical knowledge and skill needed. According to Tadzio, commercial snail farming can be started with as little as N150, 000. “Commercial Snail farming is one of the easiest businesses start up. But it is safest for one to go for training and learn the rudiments of how to tend to snails. You can start with as little as fifty snails. You could use hutch boxes to keep, feed and breed them. Many people use cartons and crates, but it is not advisable because keeping them there is unhygienic for the snails and it would expose them to lots of health risks. There are many simple methods that are cost effective for interested investors.”
Snails are seasonal creatures; they breed and produce more during the rainy season-usually between April and September. A snail can lay as much as 20 eggs. The increase in production affects the pricing in the open market, and they are sold cheaper during this wet period. So how well does it really pay investing in commercial snail farming? Tadzio explains:
“The current prize of a big size snail is around N350, but during peak period like dry seasons snails become dormant, and that makes the price to increase. A snail could go as high as N800. So image if a consistent commercial snail farmer sells 200 snails during the wet season he pockets N70, 000. But if he sells during the peak period round December to March, he can make up to N160, 000 for just 200 snails.”
Another lure to snail farming is the low cost of running and feeding them. “Snails are vegetarians. They love juicy organic foods like fresh fruits and vegetables example- carrots, cabbage, bananas, pineapple peels, apples, watermelon, pawpaw etc. you also feed them protein enriched feeds like fishmeal and calcium enriched feeds to build their shells and make it stronger. The best part is that, all their feeds are locally sourced,” Tadzio adds.
Prince Arinze Onebunne, Director of Jovana Farms, is another farmer that is reaping bountifully from commercial snail farming. And according to him, the primary goal of every aspiring snail farmer should be to take advantage of the seasonality of this market in order to gain premium prices for your snails. “Target the high-end customers like hotels, restaurants and households. This is because they can afford to pay for a steady supply of the product. If you supply all year round, you are likely to earn lesser during the rainy seasons when supply is in abundance, and more in the dry seasons when the product is scarce. You could buy cheaply from the villages and other remote areas while the supply is up during the rainy season and maintain a healthy stock of large snails that you can unleash on your customers when supply falls in the dry season.”
But to achieve this, one must ensure to meet very important conditions. One of such is to go for large size snails that would command attractive price. For this to happen, “you must start your snail farm with the right species like the GALS breed of snail.
And you must ensure that you apply proper breeding conditions, stocking and feeding practices to achieve the huge sizes that will make you a highly sought after snail supplier. If your snails are bred well, they should start to reach market size from six to twelve months. But here in Snailcare Farm, we have a developed a feed that speeds up the growth of our snails,” Tadzio revealed holding up a snail shell the size of his palm.“I would say that the snail farming provides opportunities that are yet to be seized. I have researched into snail farming quite a bit and the potential is there … but it has not been explored and exploited.”
