Basics of Snail rearing by Joseph Erinle

TAI SOLARIN UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
IJAGUN, IJEBU ODE
OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

GROUP 78

MEMBERS OF THE GROUP

1. ERINLE OLUWADAMILARE JOSEPH (ECONOMICS )


2. SONOIKI OLUWABUNMI GRACE (ECONOMICS )

3. LEMO MOTUNRAYO OLUFOLAKE (EDM/ECO )

PROJECT TOPIC: INVESTMENT APPRAISAL OF SNAIL REARING AND PRODUCTION

(A CASE STUDY OF MUSTARD SEED RESOURCES FARM)

COURSE CODE: ECO 327

COURSE TITLE: PROJECT ANALYSIS (2 )

LECTURER-IN-CHARGE: MR. AGBATOGUN


BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Production and rearing of snails is basically a new Agricultural business which was discovered a decade ago.
Basically, snails used to be fetched in the wild by young boys and girls and adult men and women who do this as a source of livelihood and for their immediate family consumption.
However, due to environmental destruction, deforestation and bush burning, all of which has affected the population of snails in the wild to the barest minimum, hence, snail farming technique was adopted not more than ten (10) years ago.
Snail rearing and farming is an agro-based business under animal husbandry. Hence, it belongs to the agriculture industry.
The areas of service or production in the project includes the following; snail rearing & production, sales of snails as pet animals, snail vending to major restaurants and hotels, export opportunities, medicinal advantage and potential art material.

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

The purpose of the project is to:

1. Ascertain the feasibility of snail rearing and production as a small and medium scale business enterprise.

2. Ascertain the project viability status.

3. To create awareness of this hidden gold mine.

4. To educate any interested individual of ways of making good source of additional income in the business.

5. To make known to the public why snail production is not only good as an additional source of income, but why everyone should go into it, due to its environmental advantages.

6. To show to the world a new means of reducing unemployment by making people especially the unemployed by making people especially the unemployed self reliant.

7. Finally, (as a field trip project) to show our capability of providing good feasibility report or analysis to an extent on the topic chosen as our field trip topic and economist to be or in training.

OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE

The objectives of the field trip project are below:

1. To make a concise and accurate feasibility report or analysis of the project.

2. To give a concise financial report of the project.

3. To give a forecast of the future income or streams of income that is obtainable via the project.

4. To expose the potential opportunities in the project.

5. To give up to date information regarding the project.

6. To give full details of the rearing to marketing opportunities of the project.

7. To give the risks involved therein and how such risks can be managed.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROJECT APPRAISAL

There are so many reasons why we chose the production and rearing of snails, some of the reasons are bow:

1. Snail rearing and production is a new business whose opportunity and potentials have not been fully tapped or exploited.

2. Snail rearing business is a business that is capable of creating job opportunity or making the unemployed self reliant.

3. Snail production and rearing can help increase our foreign exchange earnings.

4. Snail has some medicinal benefit such as in the cure of diabetics.

5. Snail production and rearing can help raise the nutrition supplement of the masses in their daily food consumption.

6. Due to massive and geometric deforestation, bush burning etc, hence snail rearing is important and crucial to prevent snail extinction from the earth surface.

7. Snail rearing is also important as it serves as a source of food for man, calcium for poultry birds and as an essential material for artist who knows the value of snail shells in the art work or design.

8. To encourage the breeding of snails as pet animals.

9. To add to the little existing knowledge of the importance of snails to mankind and the environment.

DEFINITION OF TERMS TO BE USED

Before going further, it is pertinent to explain some basic terms to be used during the course of this feasibility report/ field trip project.

1. G.A.L.S: Giant African Land Snails.
2. Molluscs: Biological name for snails.
3. Achatina Fulica: Botanical name for east African land snails.
4. Achatina achatina: Botanical name for tiger snails
5. Achatina magnata: Botanical name for west African land snails or
GALS
6. Nursery: A place where newly hatched snails are kept
and breed apart from adult snails.
7. Incubator: A place where snail eggs that were not burrowed
into the soil by adult snails are burrowed.
8. Hermaphrodites: Containing either male and female sexual cells or
organs.
9. Darting: Transfer of sexual cells or eggs from one snail to
another. It is otherwise known as snail mating.
10. U.V.B: Ultra Violet Bulb
11. Mist spray: Spraying snails with water via watering can
12. Escargot: Snail (in French)
13. Burrowing: Going slightly into or beneath the soil using the
head.
14. Hibernating: A situation where snails seal up their surface with a
soft shell which later hardens up and snails can
hibernate for months without any activity.
15. “Congo meat” A popular slogan for snail meat.
16. Snailry: Snail farm or snail farming
17. De-hibernating: A method or way of making snails stops
hibernating.
18. Hide-out: A place where snails hide from excess sunlight/ sun
ray.
19. Base: The tip or end of the snail shell that is most fragile.

INTRODUCTION AND FACTS ON SNAIL

Snail rearing otherwise known as HELICICULTURE is under mini-livestock farming. They exist majorly in abundance in West Africa and west Europe.
Snails exist both in the terrestrial life (on land) and in the aquatic life (life). However, this project concentrates more on the terrestrial snails in Africa popularly known as G.A.L.S (giant African land snails).
There are different species of G.A.L.S such as:
1. Achatina Fulica (East African Land Snails)
2. Achatina Marginata ( West African land snails)
3. Achatina Achatina (Tiger Snails)
However, this field trip project tent to concentrate and focus on Achatina Margnita which is the main African giant snails, commonly found in the west African region and due to the fact that it is the most commercially preferred snail both in the domestic and international market.
Snails are crawling exo-skeletal invertebrate animals that possess fluid instead of blood. They are eaten in different forms and various delicacies such as:
1. Fried snail
2. Boiled snail
3. Roasted snails (barbecue)

SOURCES OF SNAIL OR SNAIL SOURCING

1. IN THE WILD: this is the oldest means of snail sourcing where hunters or individuals go deep into the forest or farmlands and catch snails. Snails are best caught either very early in the morning before sunrise or evening after sunset because they are nocturnal animal who only come out to feed during the dark.

2. Markets: snails can also be gotten in various markets such as the new-market or oke-aje market, Ita- osun market.

3. Heliciculturist: snails can be gotten from heliciculturist, that is, those into rearing and production of snails in commercial quantity such as Obasanjo farms of Nigeria, that are already into 500, 000 capacity production of snails and many others.

4. Research institutes: snails can also be gotten from research institutes that are into heliciculture

5. Via importation: snails can also be imported from abroad such as from our neighboring countries e.g. Ghana, Benin or west European countries.
Out of all these options above, the best to source for snails with regards to this project is either from the markets or heliciculture because it’s cheaper and safe, and the best species is guaranteed.

Snails is being sold currently as at the time of this field trip project report for N150 for bulk purchase not less that 100 pieces and N200 per snail for individual consumers.
The best snails to be selected for breeding and production purpose are either Achatina Marginata or Achatina Fulica, which are predominantly available in Nigeria especially in both the western part and eastern part of Nigeria. Snails meant for breed should be properly observed and buyers should take note that no part of the snail shell should be broken. It is advised to start breeding with mature adult snails.

TRANSPORTATION

Snails are best transported either in sacks, basket, or wooden cages. Some people use iron cages or sometimes perforate the snail shells and tie the snails up with a rope passed through the holes on the shell. Breed snails should not be treated this way as it delays the growth and production of the snails.

ACCOMODATION

Snails are either accommodated in cages, used tires, big plastic drums or wooden box, plastic tanks. Other housing methods includes; basket, covered buckets, mu or clay pots etc. out of all the housing methods mentioned above, we recommend the use of wooden cages, and big plastic drums or wooden box. We prefer the use o f wooden box. This wooden box of size 20 by 15 cm the length and breadth will be needed for the project which has the capacity to accommodate a maximum of 1500 pieces of snails.
A nursery wooden box of size 20cm by 15cm in length and breadth is required, which can accommodate 1430 pieces of snails. The cost of accommodation will amount to N20,000.

FEEDING

Snails are generally omnivorous animals, that is, they eat both vegetables and flesh. But they are majorly herbivorous. Snails have varieties of food ranging from; pawpaw leaves, cocoyam leaf, water leaf, snail feed. Brewery waste, fruits, corn shaft, other vegetables etc. but only snail feed, water leaf and pawpaw leaves will be adopted for their feeding in this project. The snail feed which is the major feed to be used is produced at N5, 000 per 25kg.

100 pieces of snails can consume 25kg of feed per month. (Adult snails) = N30, 000. For 6 months, 800 pieces of young snails will consume 50kg of feed per month which equal N60, 000 for 6 months.

PEST AND DISEASES

Snails do not fall sick easily. They don’t have any minor or major sickness or disease. However, their common pest or predators such as humans will be minimal or absolutely zero.


GROWTH AND MATURITY

Snails mature between 3 to 6 months. But at six months, they would be fully matured and will have a good market price.

SALES AND MARKETING

Snails can be sold in different form and in different areas or ways. Snails are usually sold in the ways listed below:

1. Snails are usually sold alive in markets.
2. Snails can also be sold in processed form.
3. Snails can be sold in fried form.
4. Snails can be sold in barbecue form.
5. Snails can be sold roasted or boiled mixed with pepper.
6. Snails can be exported out of the country alive, processed or in any of the forms above.

However, we intend to sell our snails alive in our local markets and to restaurants at the usual price of #200 per snail.

PROBLEMS, PROSPECTS & CHALLENGES OF THE PROJECT

CHALLENGES: the challenges of this project are:

1. They are slow growing animal
2. It is not a project in which one will expect quick return due to their slow growing nature
3. Also, they are animals that have their own market, that is, they are not just consumed by everybody of different status because they are usually expensive.
4. They can not be exported to United States of America alive due to their fast rate of reproduction because they can become pest to farmlands if they escape from heliciculturist.

PROBLEMS:

Snails are harmless animals, but they have a lot of problems or factors that may affect them.
Some of theses factor are under two categories which are:

1. Biotic factor
2. A biotic factor

BIOTIC FACTORS:

These are living things that affect snails such as humans, soldier ants, termites, snakes, birds. All these mentioned above can kill the snails. They are explained below:
a. Humans: snails can be stolen by humans if their cage are not properly secured.
b. Soldier ants: these are their common enemies. They usually sting the snails to death in masses.
c. Termites: they do the same thing as soldier ants too.
d. Snakes: snakes usually swallow up the snails in their shell.
e. Birds: birds usually pick up snails, break their shell and swallow them. Some examples of such birds are owl, eagle, hawk etc.
f. Crab: crab usually kill snails just to take over their shells as their new home.

ABIOTIC FACTORS:

There are so many a biotic factors that affect snails. Some extreme factors can kill the snails, while other may cause the snail to hibernate or reduce its rate of growth and development:
a. Salt: snails should not come in contact with salt or neither should their feed contain salt as it will kill the snails. Salt is acidic and snails should not come in contact with it.
b. Extreme weather condition: snails love a temperature between 200c and 250c. Anything beyond this can make the snail to hibernate. Weather condition that is -00c or > 370c an kill the snails.
c. Accidents: snails often get killed or sustain broken shells through accidents such as falling from a great height, mis-handling, etc.
d. Bush burning: this is the most common danger that snails are prone to.
e. Excess carbohydrates: snails should not be fed with foods that have excess carbohydrates as they will swell up and burst.
f. Flood: snails should be kept in a cage that allows easy outflow of water. Snails such as G.A.L.S or Molluscs are not aquatic snails; hence, they can’t survive in a flooded cage as they will be filled with water, swell up and die.

PROBLEMS, AND CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED IN THE FIELD TRIP.

Some of the problems encountered during the field trip are below:
1. Unwillingness of the snail farmer to release his information to us. According to the snails farmer, the information we requested from him usually fetch him a minimum of #10000 per head during for seminar and much more for personal consultation services he renders.

2. There was iota of doubt and skepticism about our genuineness as undergraduate student or maybe a spy who have come to spy at his little gold mine ”snail farm” at his backyard that is fetching him amazing streams of income. According to the farmer, no one should or can be trusted in the Nigeria of nowadays as corruption is everywhere and no one knows who is who.
3. Difficulty in locating a snail farm as most people were surprised that snails are being farmed which is contrary to their ancient belief that they can only be gotten in the wild.
4. Difficulty in accessing Obasanjo Farms of Nigeria at Ota in Ogun state who are currently the largest producers and farmers of snails in Nigeria as at now. The snail farm which started 11 months ago with an initial brood stock of 10,000 pieces of snails have multiplied geometrically after 6 months to more than 80,000 as at may 2008.The restriction was due to the fact that the farm is not yet open for people to access as the former president was waiting for the snails to reach 500,000 pieces before he allows people to come for purchases.
5. The financial assessment of the project has never been done by the farmer. However, the figures we got proved that the business is indeed a viable one via the PAYBACK PERIOD METHOD, AVERAGE RATE OF RETURN METHOD, NPV AND IRR VALUE.
6. Due to their geometric rate of production, it was difficult for us to access the viability of the project through the yearly cash inflow but rather we used monthly cash inflow.

Written by ERINLE OLUWADAMILARE JOSEPH B.Sc/Edu ECONOMICS

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