By Fortune Abang

The Federation of Snail Farmers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (FESMAN), on Thursday underscored the need for Nigerians to invest more in snail farming to ensure food security.

The National President of FESMAN, Mr Ebeh Ogoenyi, stressed the need in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Ogoenyi said that the massive snail production was in line with the Federal Government’s policy on diversifying the economy, especially in the wake of COVID-19 and the unstable oil sector.

According to him, snail farming is a lucrative venture and also good for export, due to high demand for the product globally.

The national president said there was the need for more investments in its production to meet the demand.

“We have been mobilising people across the country to go into snail farming so that we can secure our society, create jobs, ensure food security and produce industrial raw materials.

“The market is there; it is only production that we need. We have been mobilising people to invest in it, in order to produce more.

“We have also been seeking support because when you are talking about diversification of the economy from oil, snail is number one to be considered,” he said.

Ogoenyi listed slime as one of the raw materials that could be derived from snail and used for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

“You can use snail shell for the production of animal feed, because it contains more than 98 per cent calcium.

“You can also use it as an ornament. You can use it for floor tile and for automotive brake pad production and a lot more.

“As an association in charge of snail business in Nigeria, we are trying to ensure Nigerians participate in the production, because it is very lucrative,” he added.

NAN reports that the association, which consist of 764 members seeks to mass produce snail to ensure food security in Nigeria and industrial raw materials supply.   (NAN)