How to Start a Profitable Snail Farming Business in Nigeria

Are you curious about snail farming? and how to start snail farming in Nigeria.

When many entrepreneurs or business owners hear snail farming business, particularly in Nigeria, our thoughts drift towards different questions like, Is snail farming profitable in Nigeria?

Well, in this article, I’ll look to answer all your questions, ranging from: What is snail farming? How do I start a snail farming business in Nigeria? And other related queries on snail farming in Nigeria.

WHAT IS SNAIL FARMING?

Snail farming is a branch of agriculture called heliciculture. Snail farming is the agricultural process of breeding and raising snails for the purpose of human consumption or commercial purposes.

A successful snail farming business in Nigeria revolves around different factors to take into consideration, such as the market gap for snails, the demand for snails in Nigeria, the economic landscape of snail farming, the return on investment in snail farming businesses, and so on.

IS SNAIL FARMING PROFITABLE IN NIGERIA?

Yes! Snail farming is highly profitable in Nigeria. I’ll tell you how. Snail farming in Nigeria has been one of the lucrative hidden business opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to start a small business in Nigeria.

The commercial demand for snails in Nigeria has been on the rise. Sectors like food restaurants, caterers, online food vendors, and other industries are highly demanding and looking for snails either for personal consumption or commercial use.

When looking at the economic side or landscape of snail farming in Nigeria, it is obvious that snail farming in Nigeria is profitable. The retail or wholesale prices of snails can range from $500 and can be higher depending on the breed and size of the snails. Hence, it is never an understatement to say snail farming in Nigeria is highly profitable.

TYPES OF SNAIL BREEDS IN NIGERIA

When it comes down to snail farming in Nigeria, it is really important to understand the nitty-gritty of everything. One of these is to understand the different types of snail breeds available in Nigeria before trying to dive into the snail farming business in Nigeria.

The following are the popular types of snail breeds in Nigeria:

Archachatina Marginata ( The Giant West African Land Snail)
Achatina Marginata (The West African Land Snail)
Achatina Achatina (The Giant African Land Snail)
Cornu Aspersum formerly called Helix Aspersa (The Brown Garden Snail)

HOW TO START A PROFITABLE SNAIL FARMING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

The purpose of this article is to give you a guide on how to start a profitable snail farming business in Nigeria. Without wasting much time, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of it all.

Here are the step-by-step guides to starting a profitable snail farming business in Nigeria:

Create a snail farming business plan
Choose a snail breed of your choice
Establish a snail farm
Acquire snails in bulk
Breeding
Marketing and sales

1. Create a Snail Farming Business Plan

A business plan is simply a template that comprises your business aim and objectives and how to handle the pros and cons that come with any business.

It is important to create a snail farming business plan to keep a target on your annual income goal, the level you want to scale your business to, and how often you want to invest more in your snail farming business.

2. Choose a Snail Breed of Your Choice

The second step in starting a profitable snail farming business is to select your preferred snail breed. We’ve highlighted the different snail breeds in Nigeria earlier in this article.

There is no point in starting a snail farming business in Nigeria if you don’t even have an idea of the type of snail farming breed you are trying to cultivate. Therefore, it is important to select your preferred snail breed while considering factors like the best type of snail breed, the type of snail breed in high demand, and so on.

3. Establish a Snail Farm

Aside from creating a snail farming business plan and also selecting your preferred snail breed, The next step in starting a successful snail farming business in Nigeria is to establish a snail farm.

This is a very important step that must never be taken with levity. Ensure you create the best snail farm so that snails can adapt to the temperature within their housing, and also ensure your snail farm is situated around a favourable climate for snail farming.

The different types of snail farms can be an indoor farm, a garden farm, a hybrid farm system, or an open-air farm. What is more important is to provide proper housing when it comes to establishing a snail farm to protect snails from predators like lizards, rats, mice, skunks, and birds.

4. Acquire Snails In Bulk

Another step in the process of starting a profitable snail farming business in Nigeria is to acquire or purchase juvenile snails in large quantities.

The ideal way to go about this is to ensure you acquire the best breed that guarantees fast growth and reproduction. Hence, find a snail supplier and acquire quality and healthy snails in bulk quantities to start rearing and growing them.

5. Breeding

After acquiring your juvenile snails in large quantities, the next step in the process of starting a profitable snail farming business in Nigeria is to breed and grow your snails. The process of breeding involves proper feeding, following appropriate snail farming practices, and lastly, ensuring growth and reproduction.

Juvenile snails feed on tender leaves like lettuce. However, the feeding process may not necessarily be every day, as snails don’t feed every single day. Snail feeding all comes down to climate situations.

Furthermore, when it comes down to the reproduction process, ideally, some breeders go through the process of allowing these snails to mate with one another and bring forth other juveniles as they grow. So ensure you follow the right breeding and reproduction practices.

6. Marketing and Sales

The final step in the process of starting a profitable snail farming business in Nigeria is to market and make huge sales of your snails.

The proper way to market your snail farming business is to make use of social media marketing and also local SEO to reach your target market, like restaurant owners and others that may need snails in wholesale quantities.

Growing juvenile snails into mature adults doesn’t happen overnight, so therefore, it is advisable not to sell off your entire snail farm. Your leftover snails can dive back into the reproduction process to produce more juvenile snails.

KEY TAKEAWAYS TO SUCCESSFUL SNAIL FARMING IN NIGERIA

Aside from understanding the steps and processes involved in starting a profitable snail farming business in Nigeria, It is also important to know the key takeaways or factors for a successful snail farming business in Nigeria.

The following are the key takeaways for a successful snail farming business in Nigeria:

1. Appropriate Climate

One key takeaway you should never ignore in achieving a successful snail farming business is to ensure you enclose your snail farm in the right and appropriate climate conditions that seem favourable for snail farming.

Adopt a medium temperature but high humidity for snail farming. This is proven to be one of the best climate conditions for snail farming in Nigeria. Therefore, adopt this best climate temperature when starting snail farming in Nigeria.

2. Feeding

The obvious answer to ensuring growth in any living species is feeding. Be aware of the right feeding practices for snail farming in Nigeria.

Like I explained earlier in the article, snails don’t necessarily need to feed every day, as they only feed depending on climate factors. Hence, also be aware that snails feed on tender or soft leaves like lettuce, tender stems, tender mushrooms, and so on.

By this, we can say the feeding practices of snail farming in Nigeria are pretty easy, but ensure you follow the feeding schedule in the right and appropriate way.

3. Housing

Another key takeaway to look out for is housing. The housing for snails should be the best you can adopt.

Why is housing important for snail farming? Snails are known to have certain predators, like lizards, birds, skunks, snakes, rats, and toads. Hence, it is necessary to protect your snail farms from these predators through proper housing.

I highlighted the few types of snail farms in Nigeria earlier in the article. Ensure you adopt the best snail farm or housing type. This is to ensure your snails don’t creep out of your sight. Hence, adopt the best housing or snail farm type to keep them in an enclosed or great space.

4. Proper Hygiene

The final key takeaway is to adopt the best hygiene practices for snail farming. These can range from their environment to snail housing.

Why is snail hygiene important? To ensure the proper and healthy growth of juvenile snails into mature snails, proper hygiene should be adopted. There are two ways about it.

BOTTOM LINE

Snail farming in Nigeria has been one of the most lucrative business ideas over the years, with demand rising each year. Snail farming is less cost-effective compared to lots of businesses in Nigeria.

The aim of this article is to provide the right information to entrepreneurs seeking to start snail farming in Nigeria. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you found the information you’re seeking.