Post by Ismail AbdulAzeez on May 16, 2011 9:48:12 GMT 1
Snails are delicate and harmless animals which come in different categories and species. There are snails so puny one would need a magnifying glass to have a better view of them while there are others so big that they could fill the entire palm of a human adult.
Snails are invertebrates with soft bodies that are covered with hard shells. They belong to the phylum or a group of animals known as molluscs. Some other members of the mollusc group are slugs, mussels and oysters. There are many species of edible land snails but the popular species of economic interest are the West Africa giant snails which are scientifically known as Archachatina marginata and Achatina achatina.
These giant snails abound in the wild, but nowadays, it is not uncommon to raise them on farms and sell them at profitable prices.
“Snail rearing has turned out to be a very profitable venture because of increase in the demand for snail meat which has been medically proved to be very low in fat and cholesterol; two things commonly found in other types of meat, and which, when available in certain proportion, could be injurious to the body,” said Mr. Miracle Afagbulam, a snail farmer.
Scientific value of snail meat
Snail meat is also believed to be very rich in protein. For example, Saturday Tribune was able to gather that the protein content of snail meat is between 37 and 51 per cent compared to that of guinea pig (20.3 per cent), poultry (18.3 per cent), fish (18 per cent), cattle (17.5 per cent), sheep (16.4 per cent) and swine (14.5 per cent).
Also, medical experts and nutritionists have revealed that snail meat’s iron content ranges between 45 and 59mg/kg. As earlier mentioned, it is low in fat (0.05-0.08 per cent) and it contains almost all the amino acids needed for human nutrition.
In addition to the nutritional value of snail meat, recent studies suggest that some certain substances produced from the glands of edible snails cause agglutination of certain bacteria, which could be very useful in the fight against a variety of ailments which include whooping cough.
In local and traditional medicine, the bluish liquid obtained when snail meat is removed from its shell is believed to be good for the development of infants. It is also believed in some quarters that snail meat contains pharmacological properties which play an invaluable role in treating people suffering from high blood pressure.
“It is understandable that some people abstain from snail meat mainly as a result of religious obligations. However, due to its invaluable medical value, snail meat has been endeared into the hearts of millions of people all over the world,” Mr. Afagbulam disclosed.
Unlimited marketing opportunity
It was gathered that there is a flourishing international trade of snails in North America and Europe. For instance, in France, the annual requirement of snail meat is approximately five million kilogrammes, over 60 per cent of which is imported. The estimated annual consumption in Italy is 306 million snails. In West Africa, snail meat has traditionally been a major ingredient of many people. In Cote d’Ivoire, for example, an estimated 7.9 million killogrammes is eaten annually. In Nigeria, although the consumption figures are difficult to obtain, it is clear that demand outweighs supply.
How to start
50-year-old Mr. Lateef Akintade is a farmer who has been rearing snails for more than a decade. When sharing his experience with Saturday Tribune, he disclosed that all forms of farming, especially those that have to do with rearing of animals, must be learnt.
“Training is essential because virtually everything about the animals to be reared must be understood, and snails are no exemption. For instance, one is expected to know the type of soil that will be very suitable for the snails, signs of diseases, how to care for eggs and young ones, where to obtain one’s stock from, among others,” he stated.
Mr. Akintade encouraged would-be snail farmers to diligently learn how to take care of snails. “You must learn to hold and feel them, after all, snails can’t hurt anyone. They have no claws like dogs, no teeth like pigs, no beaks like chickens and no horns like cattle, therefore they can hurt no one,” he said.
Snail farming, it was gathered, is one of the easiest forms of animal production available. “The business is relatively easy and cheap to start and manage. It requires very little time, energy and space for its management. One can actually have a farm of up to 4,000 snails behind one’s window even as a tenant. It can be done by anybody whether young or old,”said Mrs. Taiwo Alimi, another snail farmer, who claimed to have started the business with 150 snails, but who now has more than 6,000.
Profitability of the business
“Many businesses which can be started with very low capitals often have low profitability, but snail production is different. This is because some special breeds of the West African giant snail can lay between 200 and 400 eggs in just one batch, which they can do two or three times a year. With good care, one can have 85 per cent of this reaching adulthood,” said Mr. Martins Imoleayo, another snail farmer whose farm is in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
“Depending on size, a snail could be sold for as much as N200, there is every likelihood for one to make more than N34,000 from the sale of a single batch of snails from just one parent,” Mr. Imoleayo added.
Saturday Tribune was also able to gather that one major thing which makes snail production a profitable venture is the fact that snails, apart from being able to be fed with readily available plant materials such as pawpaw leaves and some common vegetable such as water leaves, can be fed with cheap household food items such as pap and other leftovers. “The most important thing is to ensure that such food items are safe for the snails to consume,” Mrs Alimi stated.
Challenges and other tips
“Snails, like any other mollusc, react a lot to changes in weather, especially the dry season, which often impairs their rate of eating and consequently, their growth rate. In the wild, during dry seasons, snails often go into a state called aestivation (a state where all forms of activities are suspended), therefore, as a snail farmer, more attention should be given to the snails during the dry season, otherwise, their level of activity will be adversely affected like their peers in the wild,” advised Mr Akintade.
Another common challenge of the business (this is, however, not peculiar to snail production alone) is the presence of predators such as snakes, lizards, birds and soldier ants (snails’ worst enemies). This problem can be taken care of by ensuring that, irrespective of whatever method of production you adopt, your snails are well protected from all forms of intrusion.
You must also ensure that your snails are protected from wandering wild ones, which could either be predatory in nature or could infect your stock with diseases.
Source: www.tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/business-sense/3981-grow-rich-as-snail-farmer.html
Learn more about snail farming in Nigeria @ THE THY SNAIL & GRASSCUTTER FARMS: www.thethyconsulting.com/thebeautyofsnailfarming.htm
Snails are invertebrates with soft bodies that are covered with hard shells. They belong to the phylum or a group of animals known as molluscs. Some other members of the mollusc group are slugs, mussels and oysters. There are many species of edible land snails but the popular species of economic interest are the West Africa giant snails which are scientifically known as Archachatina marginata and Achatina achatina.
These giant snails abound in the wild, but nowadays, it is not uncommon to raise them on farms and sell them at profitable prices.
“Snail rearing has turned out to be a very profitable venture because of increase in the demand for snail meat which has been medically proved to be very low in fat and cholesterol; two things commonly found in other types of meat, and which, when available in certain proportion, could be injurious to the body,” said Mr. Miracle Afagbulam, a snail farmer.
Scientific value of snail meat
Snail meat is also believed to be very rich in protein. For example, Saturday Tribune was able to gather that the protein content of snail meat is between 37 and 51 per cent compared to that of guinea pig (20.3 per cent), poultry (18.3 per cent), fish (18 per cent), cattle (17.5 per cent), sheep (16.4 per cent) and swine (14.5 per cent).
Also, medical experts and nutritionists have revealed that snail meat’s iron content ranges between 45 and 59mg/kg. As earlier mentioned, it is low in fat (0.05-0.08 per cent) and it contains almost all the amino acids needed for human nutrition.
In addition to the nutritional value of snail meat, recent studies suggest that some certain substances produced from the glands of edible snails cause agglutination of certain bacteria, which could be very useful in the fight against a variety of ailments which include whooping cough.
In local and traditional medicine, the bluish liquid obtained when snail meat is removed from its shell is believed to be good for the development of infants. It is also believed in some quarters that snail meat contains pharmacological properties which play an invaluable role in treating people suffering from high blood pressure.
“It is understandable that some people abstain from snail meat mainly as a result of religious obligations. However, due to its invaluable medical value, snail meat has been endeared into the hearts of millions of people all over the world,” Mr. Afagbulam disclosed.
Unlimited marketing opportunity
It was gathered that there is a flourishing international trade of snails in North America and Europe. For instance, in France, the annual requirement of snail meat is approximately five million kilogrammes, over 60 per cent of which is imported. The estimated annual consumption in Italy is 306 million snails. In West Africa, snail meat has traditionally been a major ingredient of many people. In Cote d’Ivoire, for example, an estimated 7.9 million killogrammes is eaten annually. In Nigeria, although the consumption figures are difficult to obtain, it is clear that demand outweighs supply.
How to start
50-year-old Mr. Lateef Akintade is a farmer who has been rearing snails for more than a decade. When sharing his experience with Saturday Tribune, he disclosed that all forms of farming, especially those that have to do with rearing of animals, must be learnt.
“Training is essential because virtually everything about the animals to be reared must be understood, and snails are no exemption. For instance, one is expected to know the type of soil that will be very suitable for the snails, signs of diseases, how to care for eggs and young ones, where to obtain one’s stock from, among others,” he stated.
Mr. Akintade encouraged would-be snail farmers to diligently learn how to take care of snails. “You must learn to hold and feel them, after all, snails can’t hurt anyone. They have no claws like dogs, no teeth like pigs, no beaks like chickens and no horns like cattle, therefore they can hurt no one,” he said.
Snail farming, it was gathered, is one of the easiest forms of animal production available. “The business is relatively easy and cheap to start and manage. It requires very little time, energy and space for its management. One can actually have a farm of up to 4,000 snails behind one’s window even as a tenant. It can be done by anybody whether young or old,”said Mrs. Taiwo Alimi, another snail farmer, who claimed to have started the business with 150 snails, but who now has more than 6,000.
Profitability of the business
“Many businesses which can be started with very low capitals often have low profitability, but snail production is different. This is because some special breeds of the West African giant snail can lay between 200 and 400 eggs in just one batch, which they can do two or three times a year. With good care, one can have 85 per cent of this reaching adulthood,” said Mr. Martins Imoleayo, another snail farmer whose farm is in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
“Depending on size, a snail could be sold for as much as N200, there is every likelihood for one to make more than N34,000 from the sale of a single batch of snails from just one parent,” Mr. Imoleayo added.
Saturday Tribune was also able to gather that one major thing which makes snail production a profitable venture is the fact that snails, apart from being able to be fed with readily available plant materials such as pawpaw leaves and some common vegetable such as water leaves, can be fed with cheap household food items such as pap and other leftovers. “The most important thing is to ensure that such food items are safe for the snails to consume,” Mrs Alimi stated.
Challenges and other tips
“Snails, like any other mollusc, react a lot to changes in weather, especially the dry season, which often impairs their rate of eating and consequently, their growth rate. In the wild, during dry seasons, snails often go into a state called aestivation (a state where all forms of activities are suspended), therefore, as a snail farmer, more attention should be given to the snails during the dry season, otherwise, their level of activity will be adversely affected like their peers in the wild,” advised Mr Akintade.
Another common challenge of the business (this is, however, not peculiar to snail production alone) is the presence of predators such as snakes, lizards, birds and soldier ants (snails’ worst enemies). This problem can be taken care of by ensuring that, irrespective of whatever method of production you adopt, your snails are well protected from all forms of intrusion.
You must also ensure that your snails are protected from wandering wild ones, which could either be predatory in nature or could infect your stock with diseases.
Source: www.tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/business-sense/3981-grow-rich-as-snail-farmer.html
Learn more about snail farming in Nigeria @ THE THY SNAIL & GRASSCUTTER FARMS: www.thethyconsulting.com/thebeautyofsnailfarming.htm
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