How to Start Snail Farming (Heliciculture) in Nigeria

How to Start Snail Farming (Heliciculture) in Nigeria: A Beginner’s Guide

Snail farming in Nigeria, also known as heliciculture, is one of the most profitable agricultural business ideas for young entrepreneurs. Even though snails are in high demand, snail farming in Nigeria is still not fully explored, which makes it a great opportunity for beginners who want a low-risk business.

Many people do not immediately think of snail farming when looking for a profitable business to start in Nigeria or Africa. But the truth is this: snail farming has huge hidden wealth because snails sell fast, require low start-up capital, and grow well in many parts of the country. In this article, we’ll explore all you need to know about snail farming in Nigeria.

What’s Snail Farming?

Snail farming (heliciculture) is the process of breeding and raising land snails for food and commercial use. It is a simple and profitable business that is becoming popular in many African countries, especially Nigeria, because snails are in high demand.

Snails are eaten in many Nigerian and African dishes and are also sold for their meat in local markets, restaurants, and hotels. This makes snail farming in Nigeria a great opportunity for anyone looking for an affordable agribusiness to start.

To run a successful snail farm, you need to choose the right snail species, create a good and moist habitat, and properly care for the snails’ health and growth. With patience and consistent effort, you can grow your snail farm from a small project into a profitable and sustainable business in Nigeria.

Why Choose Snail Farming Business In Nigeria?

Snail farming in Nigeria is one of the most underrated but highly profitable agribusinesses. The demand for snails is huge in many parts of Nigeria, yet snails are not always affordable or available throughout the year. This makes snail farming in Nigeria a big opportunity for entrepreneurs who want a business with fast and steady buyers.

Snails are an important part of the diet in Nigeria and across West Africa. When you rear snails in commercial quantities, hotels, restaurants, bars, supermarkets, and fast-food outlets can become your regular customers.

In Nigeria, the price of a raw, mature snail ranges from ₦500 to ₦1000, depending on the size and location. Yet the country needs about 10 million kilograms of snails every year, and this demand is far higher than the current supply.

Internationally, the snail market is also booming. Europe and North America buy large quantities of snails every year. The United States alone imports over $2.5 million worth of snails annually, and part of this comes from African countries like Nigeria.

For many years, most of the snails sold in Nigeria were handpicked from bushes and farmlands. But this method can no longer meet the growing demand. Today, the supply of snails is far below market needs, which means the business potential is still very large both locally and globally.

Starting a small or large-scale snail farming business in Nigeria is one of the best ways to close the gap between snail demand and supply in Africa. With proper planning, you can turn snail farming into a long-lasting and profitable business.

Three Simple Steps On How To Start Snail Farming In Nigeria

Step 1: Getting the Snails

The first step in starting snail farming in Nigeria is choosing the right snail species. This determines how fast your farm grows and how profitable it becomes.

Choose the Right Snail Species:

You must decide which snail type you want to raise. Different snails grow in different climates:

Helix pomatia and Helix aspersa lay many eggs and survive well in seasonal climates.
Bigger snails like Achatina achatina and Archachatina marginata grow best in warm regions with stable temperatures, and it is the best and most popular species because it grows fast, survives well, and sells at a high price.

Where to Get Snails in Nigeria:

You can either find snails yourself or buy from a snail farm.

Ways to get snails:

Search your garden, bushes, or farmland.
Look around lakes, ponds, and moist areas.
Go when the sun has gone down a bit because snails come out when the weather is cooler.
Or search online for a trusted Nigerian snail farm where you can buy healthy adult snails.

Buying directly allows you to check the snails’ health before paying.

How to Select Healthy, Mature Snails

Choose only healthy and mature snails because they will lay eggs and help grow your farm faster.

Check for these signs:

Look for the lip around the opening of the shell. This lip shows the snail is mature.
The snail must be able to fully fit inside its shell. This means it is healthy.
Avoid snails with cracked, broken, or weak shells.

Get the Right Quantity of Snails

The number of snails you need depends on their size and your farming space.

For small snails, you can keep up to 5 snails per square meter.
For bigger snails like Archachatina marginata, you need a square meter per snail.

Step 2: Building a Snailery

Building a good snailery or snail housing is one of the most important parts of snail farming in Nigeria. Snails grow well only when their environment is cool, moist, and protected. Pick a damp area that is free from strong winds. Snails do not survive well in dry or windy places, and they also dislike soil that becomes waterlogged after rain.

Choose a location that is:

Spacious
Shaded
Protected from harsh weather

A trench or a space at the foot of a hill is perfect because it shields snails from strong winds. A place surrounded by trees is also good for snail farming.

You need a fence to keep the snails inside and prevent predators from entering.

Common fencing materials include:

Corrugated metal sheets
Plastic sheets
Chicken wire
Woven mesh

Choose a material that is strong and affordable. For a basic snail housing, build a 6×6 meter enclosure. If you plan to expand and run large-scale snail farming in Nigeria, you can increase the size to between 5,000 and 15,000 square meters.

Install the Fence Posts. These posts will support your fencing material.

Dig a Trench Around the Fence

Use a shovel to dig a trench 1.5 feet deep around the outer side of the posts. This trench will hold the bottom part of the fence to stop snails from escaping and to prevent predators from digging under the snail housing.

Wrap the Fence Around the Posts

Attach the fencing material tightly around the wooden posts.
Place the bottom part of the fence inside the trench you dug.
Secure the fence using staples or knots, depending on the material.

Fill the Trench with Soil

After placing the fence into the trench, fill it with soil and pack it firmly. This keeps the fence stable and prevents gaps where snails might escape. Snails prefer moist, loamy soil that is rich in organic matter. The soil should have a pH of 7 or lower. You can buy suitable soil from a garden store.

Avoid:

Clay soil – it becomes too hard when wet.
Sandy soil – it cannot retain moisture.

Spread enough soil inside the pen so the snails can move freely and burrow comfortably.

Step 3: Farm Maintenance

Feeding your snails properly is one of the most important parts of running snail farming in Nigeria. Snails grow faster, stay healthier, and reproduce more when they have the right food and a clean environment.

Provide Plenty of Snail Food

Snails eat a wide range of natural foods. You can feed them:

Fruit slices
Lettuce and cabbage
Vegetable peels
Weeds and leafy greens
Turnips, hybrid turnips, and dandelion clover

Remove any food that starts to rot or grow mold to keep the snailery clean and disease-free.

You can also grow leafy vegetables inside your snailery, which gives your snails fresh food and reduces feeding costs.

Give Snails Clean Water

Place a shallow tray of distilled water in the snailery so the snails can drink.

Replace the Soil Every Three Months

Over time, the soil becomes filled with snail waste, mucus, and changing chemicals. This can affect snail health.

To keep your snails healthy:

Move all snails to a temporary container.
Remove the old soil completely.
Add fresh, loamy, moist soil to the snailery.

Do this every three months and water the Snail Farm regularly

Snails thrive in moisture. If it does not rain:

Use a spray bottle to lightly wet the soil and leaves.
Water the farm early in the morning or late in the evening, when the weather is cool.

Do not water the snails during the hot hours of the day. The heat can attract them to the water and cause them to die from the sun.

If the weather is very dry:

Water the farm daily.

Just ensure your snailery never becomes flooded.

Keep the snailery Free of Weeds

Remove weeds and wild grass so they do not block the growth of your leafy plants.
Gently clear weeds inside and around the snailery to keep the snails’ habitat clean and easy to manage.

How Much Do You Need To Start a Snail Farming Business In Nigeria?

If you want to understand how much it costs to start snail farming in Nigeria, the main expenses usually include housing, buying snails, feeding, labour, marketing, and transportation. The good news is that snail farming is one of the cheapest agribusinesses to start in Nigeria. You can begin with as little as ₦100,000 to ₦200,000, depending on the size of the snail housing you want to build and the number of snails you plan to rear.

Despite the low startup cost, the business has the potential to produce huge profits within a short time.

Profit Potential of Snail Farming in Nigeria

Nigeria is blessed with the Achatina achatina species, one of the most productive snails in the world. One Achatina snail can lay over 300 eggs in a single batch, approximately twice a year.

This is why snail farming in Nigeria can grow very fast.

Even with small capital, you can scale up and achieve high returns, as long as you follow proper snail farming techniques.

Conclusion

Snail farming in Nigeria is one of the few livestock businesses that requires very little money and time. It is a low-risk venture because the cost of starting and maintaining a snail farm is minimal compared to other types of farming.

You can even set up your snail farm in your backyard, which helps you reduce the cost of buying farmland.

The best period to start snail farming is during the rainy season, especially from July to October. This is when snails naturally start breeding, so your farm will grow faster.

By kingkentus