A snail farming expert, Mr. Sunday Ido, has emphasized the need to increase local snail production in the country.
Ido, a snail farming analyst and trainer, made the call in an interview with reporters on Thursday in Lagos.
He noted that several factors must be addressed to boost local snail production due to growing demand.
“There are different factors we must consider to increase snail production in the country. The main challenge is finding ways to accelerate growth.
“The growth period for snails is long, which requires significant investment. Security is also critical because snails are vulnerable to predators, which adds to costs.
“Many people who want to venture into snail farming end up selling snails sourced from the wild because of insufficient funding. Snails take nearly two years to reach maturity, and without proper resources, farmers quickly run out of cash,” Ido said.
He stressed that more people need to engage in snail farming to boost the sector’s output.
“Without adequate preparation, the business can be discouraging, so many farmers revert to vending. Sourcing snails from the wild is also becoming harder due to deforestation.
“One major way to increase production is to encourage more people to enter snail farming, which requires proper funding. Personally, I had to slow down at one point because relocating and setting up a proper farm became challenging,” he added.
Ido also highlighted the sector’s inability to meet demand due to production limits.
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“Currently, I receive bulk orders every day but cannot fulfill them due to limited production. Last year, most orders I fulfilled were for export, but many were sourced from other farmers because my farm is still growing.
“Our goal is to make snail availability year-round. Funding, awareness, and interest in snail farming need to increase. Poultry and fish farming are widely recognized as lucrative, but snail farming has yet to gain similar popularity.
“We are exploring research and development to improve local production, but research is costly,” he said.
He urged the government to support the sector through funding or grants.
“The last government agriculture grant did not include snail farming or horticulture. If policymakers take interest in supporting snail farming, the sector could grow. Currently, no policies in Nigeria address snail protection or increased production,” Ido said.
