Turn N100,000 to N1,000,000 in just a year of snail production

African Giant Snail

Yes, that’s not an exaggeration. In fact, it is a conservative estimation. Before going into details of production process, let’s consider a feasibility study on snail farming.

Assumptions

1.       300 matured mails @ of N300/snail(African giant snail)

2.       Acclimation of parent stock to change in environment- 1 month

3.       Incubation period- 30/32 days(1month)

4.       Newly hatched hatchlings are expected to be sexually matured by their 8^th month of age

5.       An average of 10 eggs per clutch are laid every 3 months per snail (Snail is hermaphrodite). 7 hatchlings are produced i.e 70% hatchability (This is a very conservative estimation. Eggs per clutch are usually between 8-16 eggs)

6.       Survivability of parent stock and generation is 90%

Estimated production of the parent stock in 12months of active reproduction

Production per snail: 4 * 7hatchlings = 28hatchlings

300 parent stock: 300 * 28 = 8400hatchlings

90% survivability:  8400 * 0.9 = 7560hatchlings

Let that sink in! 7560 hatchlings from 300 parent stock in just a year of active reproduction. Do the calculation yourself to see the worth of this farm after a year. Note: among the 7560snails, you have those who are above 8 months of age and are also ready for reproduction.

Snail farming tips

• Snail is very essential in human diet, mostly in terms of the minerals and some vitamins it provides. It has a lot of medicinal value too
• Snail may live for an average of 5-6 years
• Snail usually attained sexual maturity at an average of 8 month at 90-130g
• Mating between two mature snails normally takes place around May – October, but if well managed, they can reproduce throughout the year.
• Snails are hermaphrodites. They mate through copulation.
• They are more active in the dark
• Get parent stock from reliable source. Do not buy from the snails hanging by the road sides or the ones already beaten by the sun in the market (They are only best for consumption not for production). If you want to run a successful snail farm, make sure you get your parent stock(Matured snails you are starting you farm with) from a very reliable snail farm. Contact me on abiolade4real@gmail.com for proper guide on this.

For detailed snail farming production manual, contact me on abiolade4real@gmail.com or send message to me on twitter.com/corpfarmers

Please, kindly share with your contacts

Small scale agribusiness ideas

Young African farmer

Due to high rate of unemployment in Nigeria, many unemployed youths are now considering agriculture. One of the constraints is lack of sufficient start up capital. Well, there are other constraints such as lack of needed practical knowledge, environmental factors etc. But the focus here is to look at agribusinesses ideas that require very low capital. The size of capital I have in mind is between 50,000 naira- 100,000 naira. Please note, I wont advise you to go for a loan to start farming. Look for ways to raise money(Sources: Parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, friends etc). I strongly advise against starting with a debt on your neck. You don't want to put yourself under unnecessary pressure. For every agribusiness idea I share here, make sure you seek practical knowledge before you invest any kobo. I will be sharing these farming ideas soon. So sit back and enjoy. You can as well follow me on twitter twitter.com/corpfarmers

5 Golden Rules for Starting Your Own Farm

Rule #1: Avoid Debt!
Why is this? Farmers aren’t immune to uncertainties and risks. Legions of great producers have abandoned their farming dreams simply because they couldn’t pay their debt when the bank came calling. Debt (borrowing money, with interest) allows you to accelerate your goals, turning dreams of tomorrow into realities of today. Agriculture is not money spinning business. It takes time (months or even years!) to grow. Most of your initial investment goes into fixed assets. It is therefore best to start small with your saving or grant from family and friends. This will ease you of the pressure that comes with taking a loan.

So does this mean ‘never take on debt’? Certainly not. There are plenty of times when leveraging assets makes sense. As you gain farming experience, and create reliable cash flow in your business, these opportunities (or necessities) will become clearer. In the meantime, however, embrace this generalization: avoid debt as much as possible.

Rule #2: Identify Your Market Before You Start Farming

You want to raise cattle, grow watermelons, or start a poultry business. Before you start, take the time (lots and lots of time) to figure out where you’re going to sell your products, who is going to buy them, and how you’re going to do it. Once you’ve done this, create a backup plan. Then, come up with another backup plan. Chances are you’re going to need them.

Small and niche producers spend an enormous amount of effort finding their customers. This is every bit as important as growing the food to begin with, because without appropriate sales channels, fresh produce will quickly languish. Agricultural products are mostly perishable. Best you sell them fresh. For example, when your watermelons ripen at the exact same moment, you’ll need a place to sell them—and fast. Have a solid marketing plan prepared well in advance.

Rule #3: Grow Your Passion
Everyone knows that farming is hard work. So do yourself a favor: grow something that you love. If you grow what you’re passionate about, it will help mitigate those difficult days when things don’t go your way. It may seem like common sense, but we often find our decisions driven more by finances, tradition, or inertia than by something we truly love.

Rule #4: Get Practical Experience

Experience doesn’t come with a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, and it certainly doesn’t come from a book. Agriculture is filled with uncertainties, surprises, and intellectual challenges. My strong advice is: learn directly from practicing farmer. This isn’t theoretical knowledge. Go work for a farmer that is in your area of interest. Work for free if he is not ready to pay you!Just get practical experience by all means. Note: go to a successful practicing farmer

Rule #5: Have a workable business plan

A business plan is a very important strategic tool for farmers. A good business plan not only helps successful farmers to focus on the specific steps necessary for them to make business ideas succeed, but it also helps them to achieve both their short-term and long-term objectives.

I will be discussing how to write a workable business plan later

Follow Corporate Farmers' Home on twitter

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Corporate farmers' home is here!

Day old chick with egg

Hello fellow farmers and potential farmers. Here is your home. One of the objectives of this blog is to help farmers get needed help and advice in their various farms activities. There are many youths that are now coming into agriculture. Many of them rely on theoretical info they got on internet. The result is often failure. It is so easy to lose all your capital investment in agriculture(Yes all!). However, with adequate knowledge and practical experience you can as well succeed. In the future, I will be sharing with you common mistakes you need to avoid when you are going into farming. These mistakes automatically lead to failure. You don't need to learn in a hard way. Corporate farmers' home is here!