Snail farming in Nigeria is one of the most lucrative, cost effective, easy to run business practices that requires very little capital to run compared to other forms of agricultural practices. Snail farming in Nigeria is one of the most neglected farming practices in Nigeria yet the opportunities abound. Snails are more popular in African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. The opportunities are massive likewise the potentials. Unlike other forms of agricultural practices that require you building mighty structures and moving far away into the forest, snail farming doesn’t require massive land spaces and confinement. Infact you can start a commercial snail farm at the back of your backyard. It requires little spaces, It’s environmental friendly, requires little man power and the feeding are cheap or almost free.





Starting a snail farm in Nigeria - Click here for more


What is a Snail?

What is Snail: Snails are animals with shells that have the ability to retract into their shell and also craw. The local name for snail in Nigeria is Igbin or Eju. There are so many species/breeds of snails in Nigeria and the world, but the types we are looking at here are the ones that are suitable for commercial viable for Snail Farming in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Snail is an animal a mollusc with a single spiral shell into which the whole body can be withdrawn. They are usually found in green vegetations.
What is snail farming?
Snail farming is the process of breeding or rearing snails. Snail farming is also known as Heliciculture or heliculture.

FACTS ABOUT SNAIL AND SNAIL FARMING
1 Snails produces a thick slime which protects and gives them the ability to crawl on sharp object like the edge of a razor and not get hurt.
2 Snails are Hermaphrodite that is they posses both the male and female reproductive system
3 Garden snails have up to 14,175 teeth! They are all located on their tongue called the radula
4 The largest snail specie is the Achatina Achatina (AA) popular in Nigeria
5 Snails have the ability to hibernate during extreme cold or dry season. They form a protective covering which can sustain them for months
6 Snails are nocturnal animals that is they are more active at night.
7 Snails are very good sources of protein.
8 Because of the suction created by their slime, a snail can crawl upside down
9 Snails are deaf they don’t have a sense of hearing that is they cannot hear, they only see, feel and smell
10 Snails can live up to 20 years

ADVANTAGES OF SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

1. Snail shells serves as calcium used for animal feeds
2. Snail farming require little land or space.
3. Snail feeds are cheap and readily available
4. Snail farming in Nigeria is not capital intensive
5. Snail farming is easy to run
6. Snail doesn’t require too much attention like other agricultural practices making it easy to run part time
7. Snail farming requires little or no man power or labour
8. Snail farming doesn’t constitute nuisance to the environment which is usually the case for other livestock farming in terms of noise and animal waste
9. Quick growth, Snails are highly productive, can produce over 300 eggs at once
10. Snail meat is rich in protein, to its low level of cholesterol and fat.
11. Snail farming can easily be combined or incorporated with other farming practices
12. Snails are basically harmless creatures
13. Snail farming is a good source of income for the family.
14. Snails have Low mortality rate

Also Read How to Start a Pig Farm In Nigeria

BENEFITS OF SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

1. It’s easy to run
2. It is highly lucrative
3. It is environmental friendly
4. Snails are highly productive
5. Low in fat and cholesterol
6. Highly medicinal and used for health related products
7. Has traditional healing benefits
8. A good export opportunity
9. It contains iron, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and has very low fat

EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS USED FOR SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

1. Tank for water
2. Watering cans
3. Hand trowel
4. Rake
5. Shovel
6. Weighing scale (digital preferably)
7. Buckets
8. Feeders
9. Pipe or hose

SNAIL BREEDS/SPECIES IN SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

Popular Types of Snail Used for Snail farming
When it comes to snail farming in Nigeria, there are 3 popular types of snail species/breeds common for snail breeding in Nigeria. There are often 3 major types of snails used for snail breeding in Nigeria and Africa in general this is due to their commercial viability.

1. Archachatina Marginata (AM)
2. Achatina Achatina (AA)
3. Achatina Fulica (AF)

Archachatina Marginata (AM)

The Archachatina Marginata AM is peculiar to West Africa and it’s popularly known as the giant African snail. It is the largest of all the snail specie . They can grow up to 20cm long in size and can produce up to 40 eggs in a single clutch and they can do produce 3 to 4 clutches in a year and can live up to 10 years. It usually takes between 21 to 40 days for the Archachatina Marginata (AM) eggs to hatch, The AM is harder and bigger compared to other species of snails. Archachatina Marginata (AM) tales about 8 to 9 months before it starts the laying of eggs. It is usually prized because of its large size.


Achatina Achatina (AA)

Achatina Achatina (AA) is d 2nd largest in the world and the second most popular breed in Nigeria and other countries and can lay up to 200 to 500 eggs in a single clutch and can lay up to 3 to 5 clutches in a year, it also takes 21 to 28 days for the Achatina Achatina (AA) eggs to hatch. It takes between 4 to 6 months before the Achatina Achatina (AA) starts laying of eggs.



Achatina Fulica (AF)
Achatina Fulica (AF): The AF is the 3rd largest and can lay up to 200 to 500 eggs in a clutch and can produce up to 3 to 5 clutches a year. It is the smallest of the breeding type of snail. It is also the third specie used in snail breeding in Nigeria.



PROCESSES INVOLVED IN SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA – HELICULTURE

1. Education: this is where many farmers fail because they hardly know much about the business they are venturing into. So first of all, get all the knowledge about the business, understand the business idea, breed type, likes problem you might face, disease, feeds, plants and vegetable, do’s and don’ts, marketing, viablity and the different challenges that may arise in the process of running the business. Once you gathered enough knowledge about snail farming in Nigeria. You can also visit other snail farms to get an idea of operating a snail farm. Then you can then move on to the next stage.

2. Physical Environment of the Farm: One of the most important factors in snail farming is the physical environment of your snail farm. Your snail farm must be properly chosen and selected and situated in an environment that is free from predators, diseases and bacteria that may be harmful to your snail farm. Make sure there are plants or tress to shield the snails from direct sunlight and winds.

3. The Soil Type and texture: The soil plays a major role in the life cycle of the snail, because the snail derives the calcium and other nutrients needed for the formation of its shell from the soil and also the soil plays a major role in the hatching of the snail eggs. Because snails bury their eggs inside the soil for hatching. So therefore the best soil used for snail breeding is the type that has low water retention capacity that is, it doesn’t retain too much water. A perfect soil type for snail breeding is sandy-loamy soil.

4. The pen for snail: When building a pen for snail farming, you need to ask yourself the type of snail farming you intend to practice, are you looking at an intensive or extensive farm system. Are you looking at a very big farm, a commercial farm, free range or a caged system?

5. Sourcing for snails: Snails can easily be sourced either from the forest or from reputable snail farms around you. Make sure they are very active and they haven’t been exposed to too much sunlight to avoid stress which might affect their survival and breeding capability. The best time to source for snail in the forest during the raining season, snails are known to be more active in the night and morning when it rains.

6. Building the Snail House (Snailery) – : Snail houses can vary depending on the type of snail breeding practices you intend to practice and the amount of available space at your disposal. It could vary from a little cupboard space at the back of your house to a room side pen to a full plot of land or more depending on your capacity.
When constructing a pen , you should avoid over population and give enough room for the snails to move around. Also make sure the spaces are well guarded to prevent them from attacks from rodents, ants and snakes and also to prevent the snails from escaping.
Make sure the pens are surrounded with plants that can serve as a cover crop because snails love cool and dark places.

7. Snail Foods and Feeding – Snails mostly feed on vegetables, plants and fruits. In modern farming, there are formulated feeds rich in calcium that has been specially prepared for snails which makes them grow faster. Snails feeds on a variety of crops like pawpaw leaves, cabbage and lettuce, okra leave, water leave, water melon, pawpaw, cucumber, banana and the list goes on.

8. Breeding the snail for market: Snails takes averagely between 6 to 12 months to get to marketable size.

9. Marketing of your snail in Nigeria: Currently the demand for snail outweighs the supply. So the market is wide and readily available as the snail farmers are not currently meeting demands. Your target markets are the market women in the markets, snail farmers, pepper soup joints, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and snail lovers who cook them for special delicacies.



SIMPLE ANALYSIS FOR SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

If you start a snail farm with 1,000 matured snails and they lay say 100 eggs (highly reduced) each. Remember that snails can go 3 clusters in a year.
Equals to 100 x 3 = 300 each (that is 300 snails each in a year) but for the purpose of this let’s put it at 150 snails per year.
Cost of 1,000 snails for breeding = 1,000 x 400 = 400,000 (four Hundred Thousand Naira)
For 150 snails for 1,000 foundation stock = 150,000 snails in a year.
If after 1 year you decide to sell 100,000 snails out of the 150,000 snails, you have a total of 100,000 x 100 Naira per snail (Highly reduced price)
N10,000,000 (that is ten million naira)
Is that amazing?

So what are you still waiting for? Start your snail farm today.

lalasticlala mind taking this to the promise land?

Source: Business Mopol - How to start snail farming in Nigeria

Interesting.

I will like to see pictures of your farm so I can model after you

Nice write up God bless you

Interesting writeup

Amen, Thank you

rockyh:
Nice write up God bless you

Thank you, Im glad you liked it

topekole:
Interesting writeup

Love ur write up.its educating.my question is,is it possible to do cross breeding btw the types of species available?thanks

Some species can be cross breed and others cannot be, especially species that have opposite coils,

efe2016:
Love ur write up.its educating.my question is,is it possible to do cross breeding btw the types of species available?thanks

leksmedia:
Some species can be cross breed and others cannot be, especially species that have opposite coils,

thanks for the quick reply,u mean that Archachatina Marginata can be cross breed with Achatina Achatina or Achatina Fulica?

How profitable is snail farming?

My reply goes very profitable if you do things right

visit www.businessguide.com.ng for a more comprehensive guide on snail farming in Nigeria.

visit www.businessguide.com.ng for a more comprehensive list.

@op
Your analysis on the profitability is totally misleading and unethical. Snail farming is okay but one major facts most online farmers fail to tell the ignorant readers is the waiting period. I state it categorically, Nobody will make any 1million, not to talk of 10million in a year from snail farming...this is total Fallacy.

C'mon, be real. I have been in snail farming for 5 years now! It took me about 3years to break even, not to even talk of having the required stock to meet demands. The marketing aspect is another ball game entirely.

Summary, if you go into snail farming as a quick and fast money mentality, walahi, you go suffer. Snail farming requires nothing less than 2 to 3years perseverance.

Thank you.

jidestroud:
@op
Your analysis on the profitability is totally misleading and unethical. Snail farming is okay but one major facts most online farmers fail to tell the ignorant readers is the waiting period. I state it categorically, Nobody will make any 1million, not to talk of 10million in a year from snail farming...this is total Fallacy.

C'mon, be real. I have been in snail farming for 5 years now! It took me about 3years to break even, not to even talk of having the required stock to meet demands. The marketing aspect is another ball game entirely.

Summary, if you go into snail farming as a quick and fast money mentality, walahi, you go suffer. Snail farming requires nothing less than 2 to 3years perseverance.

Thank you.

Sir, thank you for this. But I would like you to be really objective with the criticism. I am always after accurate figures too sir. I truly understand your plight. And since you have been in it for 5 years, you are the right person to address this issue. Personally, I have been trying to get details about snail too which I do not see profitable, but people keep saying it is.

Please, let us look at his figures again. Here they are:

leksmedia:

SIMPLE ANALYSIS FOR SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

If you start a snail farm with 1,000 matured snails and they lay say 100 eggs (highly reduced) each. Remember that snails can go 3 clusters in a year.
Equals to 100 x 3 = 300 each (that is 300 snails each in a year) but for the purpose of this let’s put it at 150 snails per year.
Cost of 1,000 snails for breeding = 1,000 x 400 = 400,000 (four Hundred Thousand Naira)
For 150 snails for 1,000 foundation stock = 150,000 snails in a year.
If after 1 year you decide to sell 100,000 snails out of the 150,000 snails, you have a total of 100,000 x 100 Naira per snail (Highly reduced price)
N10,000,000 (that is ten million naira)
Is that amazing?

Here are my questions:

1. Approx how many young snails can each snail produce in one year?

2. How much does an adult cost?

3. Is it realistic to easily rare 1,000 snails?

4. What is the market like? Is it hard to sell snail? I keep seeing people coming here to annouce they have snails for sale. If the market is there, no one will advertise here.

5. Here are two statements you made above:
i) not to even talk of having the required stock to meet demands.
ii) The marketing aspect is another ball game entirely

To me, there is a conflict between the two statements. Having required stock to meet demand? Does it mean there is high demand for snail that it is hard to get the required stock to meet demand? If so, what makes the marketing another entirely ball game? What is unique about the marketing?

6.What are the main challenges involved in snail farming?

7. Why do most snail farms fail?

8. Could you make recommendations based on your experience?

Sir, this is not an attack in anyway. I want to learn, and it is why I need your answers here. And may God bless you as you share from your wealth of experience.

Thank you in advance!

@fluentinfor

Been a while


Let me break it down,

I stumbled on an article just like this some years back and I decided to give a trail. I went in big with the "snail farming will turn you into a millionaire" mentality after been jeered up with the article (November 2013 precisely) and believe me, its been a long road to success.

I started up with about 50 matured snails which I got from a snail farmer (600 per one, totaling 30 naira which after much deliberation, collected just 20k from me). It was a mix of AA and AM.

I separated into two pens I built for them. Ever since, I have had to persevere till the very point I got my breakthrough.

Now to answer your questions:

1. The AM should be approximately 30-40 per cluster. And this happens about 4times a year.

The AA, about 300 eggs (I once counted it out of anger) and 3times a year.

2. Sales is seasonal. Cheaper during the rains and very expensive during the dry season. Eg. 1 could go for as high as 700 during the dry season and 300 during the rainy season

3. 1000 snails for start up? Very very unrealistic. But I do have if not more than that in my pen now. Not all matured though.

4. Same as all market. You need a major break. Mine came after three years when I hooked up with a catering service woman who hooked me up big time. That was the break for me. That leads to the number 5 question

5. Initially, the market was there, it takes a year if not 2 for the AA to get to the giant size. Though it starts egg laying as at 8 to 9 months. When I eventually had the market, thanks to the woman, my stock was depleting just like that. There was a time I had to scout other farms to meet demand on my end. But before then, my snails where just there growing and no where to sell them except for people coming to buy about 10 -15 (occasionally)

6. So many. One major factor which applies to all farming includes having time for them. It is erroneous to say snails requires little supervision. You really need to know what's going on in there. I can count the number of night I stood up just to watch and observe.

Honestly, snail farming is better integrated with other farming. The get rich quick syndrome doesn't exsist in farming and if there is, certainly not with snail farming.

Attached is my hatchery for the eggs.

@jidestroud

Thank you so much. I always state it clearly that marketing first. Well, like you said, time, patience, and endurance make it work well.

And thank you sir. I love what you wrote. See, your market analysis is where I am getting started. It has shown me how the business works. I know exactly what to look out for now. This is what I talk about every time here. Please sir, if you do not mind, can I ask you more questions?


I get you clearly now. There is a reasonable profit for deligent snail farmers. Also, you have just stated that snail farming business needs 2 to 3 years before the breakthrough really comes. Snail itself gets to maturity in 2 years. Ok, I get it now.

Also, the truth is that OP's price looks realistic. But just that he is in hurry to say snail breakthrough comes fast. And the number of snails he wrote that each can give is certainly within the range you gave. But what you are saying is that it takes time for snail to grow big. And this makes it hard to meet demand. Interesting. But there must be a way out.

No wonder a friend said he prefers grasscutters. Hahahaha! Seriously, I understand the picture clearly now. You are so detailed. I like someone like you sir.

Sir, talking to an experienced farmer like you is a blessing which I tell most farmers to do first. To get accurate figures. Yeah. OP's figure looks good, but in real life, problems may occur.. sir, lets me ask you.

Based on your wealth of experience, if I want to be making sales of N150,000 to N350,000 monthly, please kindly tell me what I need to do. Meaning that I want to sell 500 snails every month. Sir, let us assume that I have done my market research well and I can sell 1,000 snails every month. What exactly must I do to be able to produce 500 snails every month? How many snails do I need to start with? Which breed do you advise? I mean kindly just give a thorough analysis.

And I pray someone reads this and contacts you for something.

Will do justice to that before the day runs out.

Nice 1

Snail farming business is one of the most lucrative livestock businesses any entrepreneur can venture into. Unfortunately, it has been neglected perhaps due to fears the techniques required to start the business are complicated. The truth is, snail farming business is not rocket science; it is very simple to start and very profitable too.

Snail farming can be very profitable in Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa, and Nigeria. Yet, it is one of the most neglected animal rearing business in these countries.

How to Start and Succeed in Snail Farming Business

Things to consider in starting snail farming business

. The environment and location of your snail farm
. The right soil for snail farming
. Knowledge of snail farming
. Embarking on feasibility study
. Construction of the snail farm
. Write down a business plan
. Sourcing the snails for the farm
. Feeding of the snails
. Pests and diseases control
. Harvesting the snails
. Getting market for the snails

For comprehensive facts, read more at: https://faceofagriculture.com/2017/11/20/how-to-start-and-succeed-in-snail-farming-business/

Good one �

Swfarm2020:
Good one �

Yeah , I read through the whole right up, it is very good indeed

View a comprehensive list of snail farms in Nigeria on www.businessguide.com.ng