Snails Farming in Nigeria

The Giant West African snail or banana rasp snail (Archachatina marginata)

This snail farming and snail production species of snails belongs to the family Achatinidae  They can grow up to 20 cm long, and live up to 10 years.

This species of snail are commonly found in the Western part of Nigeria. This species of snails are very big in size but less prolific i.e the point of lay is low compared to A.M suturalis.

(A) Archachatina marginata ovum

Comparison of Maginata and Saturalis

Archachatina marginata ovum and A.M suturalis are the most common species of snails found in Nigeria. for more knowledge on snails watch video of Snail farming below

SNAIL PRODUCTION

The production of these snails is a profit-yielding venture. Once stocked & well managed, A.M snails lay between 6-14 eggs every 3 months, multiplying to about x10 of their original number in 6 months.
(A.M) best for human consumption and breeding. The breeder snails have an average weight of between 200 – 250g.

The mandatory expenses you need to account for if you’re wondering how to set up a snail farm include: housing, buying fresh snails, feeding, handling, and processing the snails, marketing, and transportation.

However, You can start the business with N60,000 or N100,000 depending on how large you want your snail farm to be. Asides from the amount of your investment, it is possible to produce 1,000,000 snails now worth more than N5 million twice a year. Snails Farming – snail production

(B) Archachatina marginata suturalis

Black or brown streaks on the yellow or brown background are characteristic of this big form of Archachatina marginata. Shell is darker in comparison with subspecies Archachatina marginata ovum and more elongated. The foot is uniformly dark or black.

We can determine this species easily by the red apex and red to the purple columella. This species is easy to care for and is commonly found in the Southern part of Nigeria. watch video Snails farming on A.M suturalis

Advantages of Snail Farming in Nigeria

• Snails are hermaphroditic in nature and highly reproductive. Both male and female reproductive organs are available in each snail. As a result, the snails can reproduce very fast.
• One snail can lay eggs 6 times a year. Each time they lay more than 80 to 100 eggs.
• Snail meat is better than any other red meat. And it is enriched with high-nutrition ingredients.
• Furthermore, Snail meat is high in iron, protein, calcium, and phosphorus and very low in cholesterol, sodium, and fat. As a result, snail meat is highly recommended by dietitians and doctors for patients and general people.
• Snail meat is very delicious and widely popularly accepted all over Nigeria. And there is no religious or tribal taboo on consuming snail meat.
• Snail has a great market all over Nigeria and in the West African regions. Snails Farming – snail production

Advantages of Snails Farming in Nigeria

(1) The business tasks related to snail farming in Nigeria like financing, producing, servicing, processing, sorting, transporting, and marketing can make a great sector of employment for unemployed people.

(2) Domestic snail farming in Nigeria can meet up the family nutrition demands.

(3) Commercial snail production can decrease the importation of frozen meat or fish from foreign countries. This can save money and make the economy of Nigeria strong.

(4) Through widely commercial snail farming in Nigeria, some extra income can be made along with meeting up the national demand.

(5)Establishing a snail farm in Nigeria by using modern technologies, require less capital investment and produces much within a very short period. Running costs are also very low.

(6) Risk of losses are less compared to other types of livestock farming system.

(7)You can make ten times more profit from snail farming in Nigeria within a year without any risk.

(8)Snail farming is not time-consuming and there are no stress, odor, noise and irritation.

(9)You can easily do snail farming business with your current occupation. Snails Farming – snail production

Suitable Environment for Snail Farming in Nigeria

Generally, snails are easily dehydrated. Dryness occurs in snails due to moisture loss in snail. However, Wind increases the rate of moisture loss in snails. So, select a suitable location for establishing a snail farm.

Furthermore, For preventing the snails from losing water from their body quickly, you have to place the snail house (snaileries) in a wind-protected environment.

So, An area with many trees can make the perfect environment for snail farming in Nigeria. Watch Video on how to feed snails properly and their Ideal environment

Suitable Soil For Snail Farm

Furthermore, Soil is the main habitat of snails. For successful snail farming in Nigeria, the selected land for this business must have to contain some of the components and chemical substances which are necessary for surviving the snails. For this reason, all types of soil are not suitable for commercial snail farming.

However, The shell of the snail is mainly calcium and they derive most of the calcium from the soil. They drink water from the soil and also lay eggs on the soil.

The selected soil must contain all the above elements. But be very careful. Keep proper balance. Never let the soil become waterlogged, or too dry and the soil will not be acidic.

Always avoid clayey and acidic soil. Sandy-loamy soil with low water holding capacity is perfect for snail farming in Nigeria. Watch video on type of soil and soil treatment. Snails Farming in Nigeria

Feeding

Snails generally eat fruits, green leaves, etc. Food ensures the proper growth of snails. Provided food helps the snails grow their tissues and they also need calcium for growing shells. However, You can feed your snails some leaves like cassava leaves, cabbage, cocoyam, eggplant leaves, lettuce leaves, okra leaves, or pawpaw leaves.

Furthermore, Among the fruits, you can feed them a banana, cucumber, eggplant, mango, oil palm fruits, pears, pawpaw, tomatoes, etc. watch video on how to feed your land snails

Why Snail Farming

Market opportunity for snail farming in Africa is huge but grossly underrated. Snails are source of diet in many parts of Africa, although not always affordable and available all year round. 

Furthermore, If reared in commercial quantity, hotels, and fast-food restaurants will be your regular customers. Snails Farming in Nigeria and its Production

In Nigeria, prices of mature snails go from N250 to N600 depending on the size. However, the annual demand for snails in Nigeria is about 7.5 million kg annually. Snails Farming in Nigeria and its Production

Furthermore, Snails handpicked from the farm or bush had been the only way to get snails to the market and dinner table.

Currently, the demand for snails is higher than the supplies, an indication that the market of snails is inexhaustible, locally, and internationally.

Snail egg sorting and Incubation

• Watch an exclusive video on snail egg sorting and incubation

How do you handle snail eggs?

If your snail eggs reach 10 mm or more in size, it is best to leave them be. If you bother them too much, they might not hatch. However, regardless of their size, all land snail eggs need to be warm and moist. You can cover them with a bit of damp soil to keep the moisture i