One of the most profitable agricultural business ventures for young Nigerian entrepreneurs is snail farming. Nigeria and the rest of Africa have not yet thoroughly investigated the practical and profitable business opportunity that is snail farming.

Perhaps the last thing that comes to mind when considering successful ventures to launch in Nigeria is snail farming. This article will make you aware of the hidden wealth that may be reaped by establishing a snail farming operation in Nigeria.

There is a sizable but vastly underappreciated industry for snail farming in Nigeria and throughout Africa. Although they are not always economical and readily available throughout the year, snails represent a significant component of the diet in many parts of Africa. If you raise snails in large quantities for sale, hotels and fast food outlets will be your frequent clients.

Raw, matured snails cost between N250 and N600 in Nigeria, depending on size. However, around 7.5 million kg of snails are consumed annually in Nigeria. In North America and Europe, the global snail trade is booming. Every year, the United States imports snails valued more than $4 million from countries all around the world, including Nigeria.

For many years, the only way to bring snails to the market and dinner table was by hand-harvesting them from the farm or bushes. A sign that the market potential for snail is limitless both locally and globally is the fact that demand for it is currently greater than supply. The only option to bridge the supply and demand gaps for snails in Africa is to launch both small- and large-scale snail farming operations.

Nigerian Snail Farming Procedures

It will work in Nigeria if it has worked elsewhere. The five fundamental steps you must take to launch a successful snail farming business in Nigeria are listed below.

Choose the species of snails to farm in 

Step 1.

You can only utilize one type of snail while building a snail farm. According to research, warm climatic zones like Africa are the greatest places for snail species like Achatina achatina.

Step 2: Prepare your farmland for habitation.

Your snails must have adequate room to graze freely inside of their home. Avoid overcrowding your snailery because it will hinder the growth of the snails. Overcrowding increases the chance of disease outbreak, therefore well-spaced snail housing lowers that danger.

Because snails are skilled at getting out of their enclosures, you should work to build housing that is escape proof. You can utilize a pen house that is roomy, open, and has 10 inches of dirt beneath the surface with trees all around it.

Step 3: Get your snails.

You’ll need to acquire snails if you wish to create a snail farm. It’s time to purchase some fresh, high-quality snails from the market or any farm after providing the snails with suitable housing and farmland. To ensure that the snails are healthy, it is best to be able to inspect them before purchasing.

Get healthy, mature snails that will lay eggs and contribute when you initially start your snail farm.

Feeding and caring for the snails is done in Step 4.

Snails are vegetarians and can be given a broad variety of foods, including lettuce, cassava, okra leaves, mango, banana, eggplant, pear, tomato, and paw-paw. Snails can also be fed with pineapple, banana, or paw paw.

Snail farming is dependent on the snails mating and producing eggs. Usually, mating takes place in the spring and summer. Snails can fertilize one another as soon as they reach adulthood since they are hermaphrodites. Use top-notch soil at the proper temperature and humidity to ensure that egg laying goes off without a hitch.

 In terms of cost and time, snail farming is a low-risk business. Unlike many other livestock businesses, snail farming requires very little startup and operating costs. You can even set up your snail farm at the backyard of your house to save cost on the purchase of farmland.

The best time to start up a snail farming is the rainy season especially from July to October because that is the time snails normally start to breed. You should also note that prices of snails multiply during scarcity between March and December, which is the dry season.

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