"Snail Farming is a Goldmine": Graduate of Ibadan Polytechnic Starts Snail Farm, Becomes Successful

For Lawon Ajoke, going into snail farming wasn't entirely her plan. When she completed her Higher National Diploma (HND), she was idly waiting to be enlisted for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). It was during this waiting period that she decided to start a snail farm at the apartment where she lived in school.

This was in 2016. Seven years later, Ajoke has honed her skills in snail farming and become successful in her own right.

In an interview with Legit.ng, the graduate of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, said her husband has been supportive of her business. Since she took the decision to go into snail farming, Ajoke has had no regrets because she has made many giant strides. Apart from running a properly established farming business, she was selected for funding by Access Bank in 2022.

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Her words:

"I'm a graduate of purchasing and supply from the prestigious Polytechnic of Ibadan. I am a mom to a beautiful daughter, happily married to the best supportive partner. I lead and manage the team of Joks Snail Farm, an agro and recycling enterprise located in Moniya Oyo state. I started my snail farm in 2016 from my student's apartment immediately after school while I was waiting for my NYSC. I have had difficult training on entrepreneurship, and I was one out of 100 women selected for the Access Bank Womenpreneur Pitchaton program in 2022."

Snail farming in Nigeria is lucrative

She also spoke on the nutritious nature of snails, the value chain in the snail farming industry and the fact that it is a large one waiting to be tapped into.

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Ajoke told Legit.ng:

"Currently, demand exceeds supply. Snail farming is a goldmine yet untapped with nitch attached to it. Snail shells can be recycled for calcium; the snail intestines can be dried and fed to dogs. The snail slime is one of the most sought-after raw materials in the cosmetics industry. The snail meat is one of African delicacies rich in vitamins, minerals and all the amino acids needed by humans."

Snails could be very expensive in Nigeria

Ajoke described snails as expensive and said it is considered a big man's meat since many people cannot afford it.

She said:

"The snail meat is considered a big man’s meat because it’s quite expensive and served to VIP guests on any occasion."

While speaking on the capital, one would need to set up a snail farm, Ajoke said it depends on the level of operation. According to her, a farmer can start with a few thousand, such as N150,000, if it is small-scale farming. But she said the capital requirement could run into millions if the farmer was looking to start big.

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She stated:

"To start a snail farm on a small scale from your backyard, a token of 150k is sufficient to start. Commercial snail farming projects run in millions. Snails can be reared in the backyard using tyres, oil drums, and hutch boxes. On a commercial scale, snails can be reared using trench pens and a greenhouse farming system. Snails feed on lots of vegetables and fruit waste. A snail can lay between 6 to 400 eggs, depending on the species. Snail farming is fun. Commercial snail farming is expensive. However, newbies snail farmers can start from their backyard, gather expertise and scale."

Fish farmer who started small becomes successful

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian graduate became a successful fish farmer.

He started his fish farm after graduating from school, and he has expanded it to something highly productive.

He said he started with only 100 fish but today boasts of thousands of fish on his farm.

Source: Legit.ng