Welcome to Marywilfarms, a training site where we show you all you need to know about engaging your time profitably. In this article, I am going to teach you how to start commercial snail farming in Nigeria and the requirements for the start-up.

There is no doubt that snail rearing is one of the most lucrative businesses to venture into in Nigeria. I can comfortably tell you here and now that the business is among the simplest to start and manage.

Encouraging young people, especially university graduates to start snail farming in Nigeria either on a small scale or commercial rather than waiting for white-collar Jobs has continued to yield positive results.

A wise man said ”educational qualification becomes an insult when the individual is not productive”. This reason alone is why I recommend snail rearing as one of the businesses you should consider here in Nigeria.

Reasons to Consider Snail Farming

Snail rearing is recommended for every individual who wishes to start any agribusiness whether on a big or small scale. See below few reasons why you need to consider the business.

• It requires little startup capital
• Snail contains protein, iron, vitamin A, calcium, etc
• The business has huge market demand
• The meat is becoming more preferred over red meat
• It is profitable and the risk involved is less
• It is environmental friendly
• Reproduces fast
• Easy to manage as it allows one time to engage in other business(s)
• Feed mostly on vegetables and fruits such as cucumber, carrots, watermelons, paw-paw, etc
• The last but not the least is that it has no offensive odour ( does not pollute the air)

Snail business is worth trying since you could start little and in a matter of months grow to become a big farmer.

For the purpose of this article, I will be focusing on large-scale snail farming. The article is basically for those individuals in Nigeria who wish to start snail farming for commercial purposes.

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Requirements For Commercial Snail Farming in Nigeria

Here we are going to see a few things you will need if you must succeed as a snail farmer. What we have here is for the consumption of those who intend to go into the business in a big way.

Do not be discouraged if you don’t have the capacity to start big. You could start small, even from your own compound, and grow to become a big deal.

So, what do I need to start commercial snail farming in Nigeria?

1. Business Registration

This is the first thing anyone who wants to grow in business must do. Just like every other business, you are required to have your farm incorporated as a legal entity.

A registered business name makes people take you seriously, not just that, it makes your brand stand out. So before you start as an entrepreneur, search for a suitable name, head to CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission), and have the name registered.

2: Business plan

A business plan is what I call a road map or document that outlines your goals and how you plan to achieve those goals. It is a written description of your business future.

3: Secure a property (Land)

This is one of the most important stages you should never overlook in this kind of venture. It is important you have your snail farm fenced so as to wall-off unwanted people and animals that may be harmful to the business.

If you fail at this stage, am afraid people may steal from the farm.

4: Construct good snail pent

Your snail house must be well built to avoid direct sunlight and predators from creeping in.

There are three different housing systems; low fence Pent, high fence pent and the cage system. What you choose to use depends on the materials available to you.

Ensure you use good sand (loamy soil) as your beading. Also mulch the beading with dried plantain, cocoyam, or paw-paw leaves.

4: Access to water

Snails are coldblooded animals, as such require their environment to be cool and wet always. Going into commercial snail farming demands the availability of water, especially during the dry season (when the weather condition is harsh).

5: Good breeder stock

The age of snails you start with determines your output. Do not buy your snails from the market rather source from local snail farmers. Start with the ones that are between 6 to 8 months ( they are called point of lay).

There are three popular species you should know before selecting your breeder stock. They are

• The giant African land snail called Achatina Fulica.
• The giant Ghana Snail- known as Achatina Achatina. This specie lays between 300 to 500 eggs.
• The giant West African snail known as Achachatina Marginata. This one lays between 10 to 20 eggs and they all survive.

All the species are good. My take, should in case you want to start your farm in Nigeria, choose Achachatina Marginata. The mortality rate for this species is very low. For example, If it lays about 20 eggs all the eggs will survive. The specie also adapts to our environment easily.

6: Advertisement

Any business without an online presence is as good as dead. It is important to take your snail farming business online. You could market your snails on your own website or through various social media channels.

Create a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page where you showcase your products. As you do so also remember to network with other farmers in your field for regular updates.

Cost of Setting Up a Snail Farm in Nigeria

Starting large-scale snail farming at this time the economy is experiencing hard times requires good capital. The amount needed for the project depends on what is obtainable in your location.

I reside in the Eastern part of Nigeria where prices of land are quite fair. That is to say that the sum required for me to start the business will definitely differ in terms of the cost of land.

So, the calculation below is subject to change depending on which location/ state you want to site your farm.
Cost of land / Fencing = N2, 500,000
Drilling of Borehole = N650, 000
Snail pent construction =N150, 000
Breeders stock @600 × 2000 pieces = N 1, 200, 000
Local feed and compounded N 100,000
Total Estimate = N4, 600, 000

Note: You can start your own farm with very little capital and still grow to become a large-scale farmer.

Final Note

Your dream to start snail rearing in Nigeria is achievable if only you can believe in yourself and start at any level you are right now. With little startup capital of about N50, 000 you could be making up to N350, 000.

In conclusion, instead of wasting while waiting for that whitecollar Job, venture into the snail business and you will be happy you did.

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