CAN SNAIL FARMING IN KENYA MAKE YOU RICH?

 

CAN SNAIL FARMING IN KENYA MAKE YOU RICH?

Are you looking for an alternative profitable agriculture business idea in Kenya?

In this article, we will explore snail farming in Kenya.

Heliciculture or snail farming, is the process of raising edible land snails, primarily for human consumption or cosmetic use. 

The meat and snail eggs can be consumed as escargot and as a type of caviar respectively. 

Their Mucus, or the snail slime, has medical properties and is widely used in cosmetics.

Wangui Waweru has been breeding and farming snails since 2018, starting with 37 snails. This number has grown over the years.

Her first encounter with snails was when she was on a business trip in Uganda, buying clothes to sell back home.

As fate would have it, she met the person who introduced her to snails.

On a bus to Kenya, Wangui was sitting next to a Cameroonian man. 

As they chatted, the man offered to share his meal with her and she accepted.

Once they had finished eating, the man turned to Wangui to ask if she liked the food.

The man giggled to her saying, "The snail meat is so sweet."

"I was confused and tried to vomit but to no avail. With mixed reactions, I decided to be quiet for the rest of the trip. I was furious and approached the man to confirm that what I had eaten was indeed snail meat. 

He explained to me that snail meat is a delicacy among the people of West Africa," recalls Wangui.

She was intrigued and wanted to find out more about snails.

Wangui then travelled to Cameroon, Rwanda and Ghana to visit snail farms.

In 2020, Wangui obtained her first permit from Senior Warden Catherine Wambani, where she bred 4,700 snails.

However, being a snail farmer has brought her negative criticism.

She says she has been mocked and called a "witch" for rearing more than 1,000 snails.

"My snails are organic domestic snails and not the poached wild ones. These two types taste different. I feed them potassium, calcium, iron, vitamins and water, and avoid giving them protein and salts as this shortens their lives," she explains.

Wangui keeps her snails in eight pens that she has built.

Every two days she sprinkles the pens with water to make sure the snails don't stay in a dry place, because they need a moist place to survive.

"I wash my snails every two weeks to prevent diseases."

Snails, which are hermaphrodites', lay 400 eggs each, one kilogram of eggs going for Sh.196,000, hence the belief that snails are only for millionaires and billionaires.

Her customers are mostly Italians, West Africans, Germans, Mexicans, Japanese and some Europeans.

Snail meat, she says, is very nutritious, rich in vitamins B12, B13 and B16, which are rare in most meats.

Snail mucus is also used in skin care products to treat acne.

 

Wangui says that the value of snails as pets, food, and a source of income is mostly unknown in Kenya.

According to Waweru, snails are a common delicacy in Asia, West Africa, and South Africa. 

In Kenya, snails are consumed mainly by foreigners from these countries. However, she says that Kenyans are slowly accepting snails as food.

There is a high demand for snails and their products abroad and locally. 

They include HACO industries which are looking for local high-quality slime, BIDCO which can buy snail shells to make good animal feeds and JKUAT which buys snail slime at Ksh.1,200 per liter.

Snail meat cultivation and consumption is most popular in Europe. The leading markets are France, Italy and Spain. The other countries with a significant market are the USA, China, and Indonesia.

According to research, snail farming is one of the fastest-growing commercial farming ventures in Africa given its low-cost high returns benefits. 

The leading snail-farming countries in Africa are Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire. In Kenya, it generates a lot of interest among young commercial farmers and research institutions such as the JKUAT.

Snails are a major source of white meat. Additionally, they are rich in vitamins B12, B16, and B18. 

On her farm, the animals are organically reared.

As a source of income, Wangui says snails are very valuable. Firstly, she earns from selling snail meat, which can sell for up to Ksh.7,000 a kilo. 

Secondly, she says that snail bi-products are very much in demand, especially snail slime.

“The slime is used to make beauty products, and it’s very expensive,” says Wangui.

Snail cavalier is even more expensive, and a kilogram can sell for as much as 2,000 dollars in Europe and Asia. 

The farmer advises those complaining about unemployment in the country to try snail farming.

“If you sell a kilo of snail cavalier, you’ll be well off than most employed people,” says Wangui.

She says snail shells are crushed as a source of calcium for animal feed. Additionally, they can be used for decoration. 

Wangui says that snail slime is used to make face masks, scrubbers, and beauty soaps. The farmer makes her own beauty products, including laundry soap from snail slime. 

She tried giving her products for free in her community, and she says the response was 100% positive.

She is currently waiting for a certification from KEBS before launching her products in the market.

“You don’t have to be a farmer of snails to earn from them. You can buy the slime, make your products and sell them to the community,” she says. 

The farmer says that snails consume little food. Their diet consists of kale, carrots, calcium, and water. Overfeeding them can cause them to die of too much protein in their bodies, so you have to skip a day after feeding them. 

“The income from snails is very substantial compared to what I spend feeding them. You can grow the food from a small kitchen garden,” says Waweru. 

The farmer says she invested Ksh.250,000 in starting her snail farm. However, she says that Ksh.40,000 is enough to launch a snail farming business. 

You’ll first need to purchase breeder snails, which cost Ksh.1,600 a kilo. Wangui says you can start with 20 kg of breeders as they are manageable. 

Structures will cost you approximately Ksh.5,000. Finally, you can set aside Ksh.5,000 for training to rear the snails. 

Conclusion

To become a snail farmer, Wambui says you’ll need to be passionate about the business. You’ll also need to have the proper knowledge, which you can get from attending training. 

Finally, you’ll need a permit from Kenya Wildlife Services.

As we always tell you, there’s no marathon race that has ever been won by those who did not start the race. 

If you like the idea discussed above and you have what it takes to actualize it…then don’t wait to start…just do it.

Written By: Timothy Angwenyi

Business Consultant

+254701711058