Speedier Economic Gains From Life’s Slowest Creature
Snails and the tortoise are some of the slowest creatures on earth. Yet, the irony surrounding the snail for instance, is that whilst it is slow in its own movement, the high market value it offers, could speedily rake in a fortune.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, has held an event called “Snail Festival” in Accra, to underscore and exhibit the economic importance of snails. The nation’s premier scientific organization points at the high demand for snails on the international market and for subsistence, as beneficial to livelihoods and nations.
CSIR-Ghana have some thirteen institutes focused on specific areas of its mandate. The one specially responsible for the study of snails is the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana based in Kumasi.
It offers training, consultancy, the establishment of product-related companies or farms as well as linkage to markets. Ghanaian scientists are stressing on the medicinal and economic values of snails as necessary for their production, consumption and commercialization.
Although snail meat is of patronized in West Africa, the CSIR is stepping up on advocacy for proper husbandry of snails as a means of boosting family incomes. Snail slime for the cosmetic industry, the nutrient in powdered shell of snails are used in formulation of animal feed, powdered snail meat for human babies and the overall nutritional value of snails as cholesterol-free meat, are key.
The CSIR says, snails may be considered not only as collectibles in rural forest belts but also for the practice of caged farming by urban households.
Attendees of the snail festival, held in Accra, sampled menus such as snail khebabs, soups with snails and for retail shelves with or without preservatives. On display were locally manufactured and imported technologies for extraction of snail slime and other uses.
A former Director of CSIR Forig, Prof. Joseph Cobbinah, an entomologist was a pioneer researcher into snail farming. He provided the first research paper on snails published in international journals. Director General of CSIR, Prof Paul Bosu said, all over the world, snails are in high demand and those who are smart enough to latch onto the trade, could achieve economic success in no time.
A breakdown of the facts shows that snail is a good store of protein and minerals without fat or carbohydrates. As one snail could lay five hundred eggs, and cheaper sources of feeding of snails, render its farming cost-effective. Snail meat is recommended to be part of dieting of persons either diabetic or hypertensive.
Present at the event were the Board Chairman of CSIR, Prof Kingsford Adabo, officials of CSIR-FORIG and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. Exhibitors were some snail farmers who had received training from the CSIR.
Among the enemies of snails in the wild are bushfires and pesticides sprayed on farms.