6 reasons you should be eating snails – the latest health superfood
But if you’re one of the many diners who baulk at the idea of downing a plate of garden pests, think again.
For snails have come out of their shells and are basking in the glory of being the new star superfood.
And here are six reasons why snails should be blazing a trail to your plate.
1. Protein
"Although they're not going to be high on my top 10 list of favourite foods,” admits nutritionist Rob Hobson from Healthspan. “Snails do provide a low calorie source of protein (unless you drench them in butter)”.
Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle, and is also better at filling you up than carbs and fat. Many people look to seafood as an easy source of protein, but actually, snails have more.
2. Iron
Hobson adds that snails are also a good source of iron, essential for building red blood cells and carrying energy around the body. A lack of iron can lead to extreme fatigue and anaemia.
3. Vitamin B12
Often cited as the ‘energy vitamin’, B12 is needed for making red blood cells, keeping the nervous system healthy, releasing energy from the food we eat and processing folic acid. Luckily, snails have lots of it.
4. Magnesium
Snails are also a good source of magnesium, which our bodies need to maintain a normal blood pressure, strengthen bones and also keep your heartbeat regular.
5. Selenium
We don’t need much selenium in our bodies, but we do need some to keep a healthy immune system and to protect cells against damage. And yes, snails contain selenium.
6. Omega-3
Ah, the much-feted, heart-loving fatty acids. “Snails also supply a little Omega-3,” says Hobson, “which is good news for your heart.”
STARTING SNAIL EXPORTATION BBUSINESShood.
Snail Economic Value
Snail is popular in local dishes, used by pharmaceutical companies, food canning or herbal practitioner. Processing and preserving snail for export guarantees earning in foreign currency. Here are methods used in preserving snail for export.
Processing and preservation of snail meat
It is important to follow quality standards when processing snail for export. This is because once killed they become highly perishable and spoil rather quickly.
The method used in processing the snail for export is applicable to medium or small farmers. To increase the marketability and basic standards, hygienic precautions are in order. Make sure as a handler you follow food handling, health and safety rules in your country.
Things Needed for Snail Export
Things you need to start snail export are source of quality snail, startup funding, business registration, export license, tax, registration, processing/packaging equipment.
- source of quality snail
- startup funding
- business registration
- export license
- tax
- registration
- processing/packaging equipment
Product sourcing
There are two ways to source product from the local market. Purchase directly from snail farmers or use a wholesaler, another method is farming the snails yourself.
Funding
Secure funding through target savings or borrow from friends and family. Other methods are bank loans, line of credit, ventur capitalists, partnership arrangement.
License
Get a business name and register a limited liability company. The company needs a tax registration and register with the export promotional council of your country.
Snail processing procedures
- The first step is to stop feeding them for at least 24 hours. This will enable the snails to deficate what they have previously consumed and empty their bowles. The next step is to use a heater unit to boil adequate quantity of water in a drum.
2. Make sure the water temperature exceeds 70 degrees centigarade. Small hold farmers can boil the water in a large pot and check the water temperature then transfer into a drum or bucet.
3. Next stage is to add lumps of potassium or ammonium aluminum sulphate otherwise known as alum into the boiling water. Wash the snail first in clean water to remove any dirt on them then transfer immediately into the hot water and cover the container.
Snail market in Nigeria is rising due to the acceptance of snail meat, which has lead to an increase in demand for snails. The nutritional, medicinal and economic importance of snail meat has encouraged its marketing in Nigeria. The snail market in Nigeria proved profitable due to the estimated positive values of net marketing income and net returns on investment recorded by the farmers, wholesalers, and retailers. The prices of snail range from one location to another and snails are more expensive during the dry seasons. On the average, the price of a matured snails goes for #500- #1000 depending on the size and location.
The demand for snail meat is high and there is a guarantee for markets. Various channels which snails can be marketed include Hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, local markets, companies who use snail slime as their raw material and to beginner’s who are just starting their snail farms.
The international trade in snails is flourishing in Europe, Asia, and North America. There is also a good market for snail meat in the international market if only you can do a good packaging.
You can make millions of naira from this vast and unlimited market. Snail farmers are making a huge profit as the global demand for the delicacy increases.
You now see that this is an opportunity for you to get rich.
Also, before harvesting your snails, conduct a market survey, look for a potential market, and know the sizes and how they want it i.e. processed or live snail.
READ ALSO: HOW TO MAKE MONEY INVESTING IN SNAIL FARMING
Market Price of Snail in Nigeria
Snail market price in Nigeria vary and depends on many factors which include the following:
- Live or Processed: The price of processed snails cannot be compared to live snails. Processed snails either fresh or dried ones are usually more expensive than live snails.
- Season: Snails are generally more expensive during the dry season because people picking from the bush will be short of supply, thereby increasing the demand for snails. it is advisable to sell your snails during dry season if you understand the strategy.
- Location: location is also one of the major determining factors in the price of snails in Nigeria. Snails command high prices in big cities like Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt etc because of its high demands.
On the average the price of a mature snail is between #600-#1000, while Point of lay snails (i.e sexually matured snails) is between #300 -#500 depending on the season, location and value addition(live or processed).
Snail price per Kg
Processed snail meat increase marketability and profit. processed snail meat comes in different form, it can be fresh or oven dried. Processed snails are packaged in high quality materials in various kilogram sizes with the prices ranging from #7000- #9000 per kg.
Why Snail Farming?
The market opportunity for snail farming in Nigeria and in Africa is huge but grossly underrated. Snails are a huge part of the diet in many parts of Africa, although they are not always affordable and available all year round. If you rear snail in commercial quantity, hotels, and fast food restaurants will be your regular customers.
In Nigeria, the prices of raw, matured snails go for N250 to N600 depending on the size. However, the annual demand for snail in Nigeria is about 7.5million kg annually. The international trade in snails is flourishing in Europe and North America. The United State America imports more than $4million worth of snails annually from all over the world, including Nigeria.
For many years now, snails handpicked from the farm or bush has been the only way to get snails to the market and dinner table. Currently, the demand for snail is higher than the supplies, an indication that the market potential of snail is inexhaustible, locally and internationally. Starting both small and large scale snail farming businesses in the only way to fill up the spaces between the demand for snail and its supply in Africa.
Also Read: Most Lucrative Agricultural And Farming Business Ideas In Nigeria.
5 Steps To Starting A Snail Farm In Nigeria
If it has worked elsewhere, it will work in Nigeria. Below are the five basic steps you need to follow to start a profitable snail farming business in Nigeria.
Step 1 – Decide which species of snail to farm.
When creating a snail farm, you’ll have to use a single species of snail. Research has shown that snail species such as Achatina achatina are the best for warm climate regions like Africa.
Step 2 – Set-up your farmland for housing.
Your snail housing must have enough space for your snails to graze freely. Overcrowding your snailery impedes the development of snails and therefore should be avoided. A well-spaced snail housing reduces the risk of disease outbreak caused by overcrowding.
Snails are good at escaping from where they are kept, so you should endeavour to construct escape proof housing. You can use a pen house that will be spacious and accessible with a soil depth of 10 inches and trees around it.
Step 3 – Purchase your snails
If you want to start a snail farm, you’ll need to get snails. After setting-up proper housing and farmland for the snails, it’s time to buy some fresh quality snails from the market or any farm. It’s always best to be able to examine the snails before you buy them so that you know they are healthy.
When you first start your snail farm, you’ll want to get healthy, fully grown snails that will lay eggs and help populate your farm. Look at the shell of the snail. If there is a lip, that means they are a fully grown snail.
Step 4 – Feeding and rearing of the snails
Snails are vegetarians and can be fed with wide varieties of foods such as cabbage, cucumber, mango, banana, eggplant, pear, tomato and paw-paw, cassava, okra leaves or lettuce. However, you can as well feed snails with pineapple, banana or paw paw.
Mating and laying eggs are a vital part of snail farming. Typically, mating occurs during spring and summer. As hermaphrodites, snails can fertilize each other as soon as they are mature enough. In order for the egg laying to go over smoothly, you should use high-quality soil with the right temperature and humidity.
Step 5 – Harvesting and selling of the snails
It is not economically wise to harvest your snails before it’s maturity, it has to be mature before harvesting. Do not harvest all the matured snails at once to sell in the market. It is important to keep few for breeding and to serve as base stock for your snail farm.
Snail has good market demand and price. You can easily sell the snails in the local market. Snail meat consuming rate is growing very fast around the globe. So, exporting in the international market can make you more money.
Cost of Starting A Snail Farming Business
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.
You can start the business with N60,000 or N100,000 depending on how large you want your snail farm to be. Asides the amount of your investment, it is possible to produce 1,000,000 snails now worth more than N5 million twice a year.
Also Read: How to Write a Business Proposal for Clients in Nigeria.
This is made possible because of the availability of very highly prolific Achatina achatina species of snails, which lay 200 – 400 in one batch two-three times a year. If you produce 100,000 snails that sell for N250 each, which is N250 X 100,000, you will be making N2,500,000. You will be making N25,000,000 per annum or more than that if you produce 1,000,000 snails.
For beginners, creating a snail farming business plan is a crucial step that needs to be accomplished before starting. This will give you a deep understanding of everything that needs to be done.
Conclusion
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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