By Culton Scovia Nakamya

Thousands of snails flocked and clattered over a half bult building somewhere in Kawempe division on the outskirts of Kampala. The slow creatures meandered about the place domestically as their caretakers looked on in shear ecstasy.

The harvest had been plentiful and soon, the farmers were warming up to hit the market and ache a living out of this very unique kind of farming in this country is yet to embrace.

Claire Nansalire, picked three of the snails and placed them on her face as they slid their way into her hair past, another the nose her lower lip into her bulging breasts.

“That is so creepy,” my camera person whispered to my ear, wrinkling her face in shear disgust.

Nansalire, however, vividly enjoyed the moment as she playfully shifted them from one part of her face to another.

“Would you like to try this,” she teasingly asked my team as she explained how she has found gold in snail farming.

As we shrugged at the playfulness with the snails, her and other caretakers picked dozens of them and boiled them in water. After they were ready, they picked spices and made a sumptuous meal for themselves and enjoyed the delicacy that they say has never been found on earth.

Starting out.      

After the Covid-19 lockdown, Claire Nansalire lost her Job after the company she was working for laid off workers.

From her rich background hosting farmers on the defunct Record Television, Nansalire would not hesitate to make a choice of what her heart had at the time been sold out after she directed the “Omulimi n’Omulunzi” programme.

Among all the farmers she had featured on the show, she picked interest in Heliciculture which to many might appear as a farfetched decision considering the fact that many Ugandans are disgusted by snails and treat them as an abomination.

The resident of kawempe was aware of the psychological impact of venturing into a product with utmost bias from community, but she wasn’t bothered.

She established a farm at Gangu, along Busaabala road, in Wakiso district. In one year and half, Nansalire has accumulated more than 20,000 snails. As the customer base grows, she hopes to expand the farm.

While some people randomly eat snails, Nansalire says this is risky because not all snails are edible.

Only snails with shells are edible, the rest are extremely poisonous and once eaten, one may not survive. Snails are rich in proteins, calcium, Iron, Vitamin A and have less fats.

Nansalire is proud of the economic benefits.

CAPITAL

All she needed were eggs. The hatching process takes 15 days and you are good to start.  these eggs can be got from random wild snails or from any farmer at anywhere between Shs150, 000 and Shs200,000 she started her farm.

After getting enough eggs for her start, Nansalireestablished a shelter for the snails. The favorable environment for them is a cold environment, so you must be sure they are not exposed to too much heat.

The shelter should be covered very well to prevent snakes and some other birds from feasting on the snails, they enjoy the delicacy too so all spaces must be covered very well.

Nansalire advises that Lemon and Salt must not come closer to the farm house because you will lose all of them.

She feeds her snails on pumpkin leaves, watermelons and mangoes.

Marketing the snails

The vast majority of Ugandans treat snails as an abomination but a few foreigners enjoy the delicacy.

Many of Nansalire’s clients are Kenyans, Koreans, Nigerians and a few others.

They buy from eggs to grown snails. Many prefer younger snails because they are easy to prepare and have a better taste.

A kilogram of raw snails goes for Shs70,000 (about $19) while a sun dried or roasted snail goes for Shs200,000/= ($55).

Others buy the shells and their slime for beauty products.

Some buy eggs to make a concoction to treat cough and colds. Snail eggs are mixed with lemon and Honey and the concoction works very well according to Nansalire. The same is good for sensitive skins to treat rashes and pimples.

Nansalire now eyes the international market for higher profits. this is a venture she does not regret taking.

Preparing a snail meal

First, is choosing which size of snail to eat. The older it grows, the stronger it gets and the harder it will be.

Put them in a pan and boil for 15 – 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can boil water and put them in boiled water and soak for the same duration.

This helps kill the snails and ease the process of removing the shells.

Next is plucking off the shell and clearing the slippery waste. To do this, wash the snails with salt, pepper and vinegar. Wash until all the waste is cleared then cut them into halves.

You need cooking oil, onions, tomatoes, curry powder and salt.

Fry the snail halves until crispy. Enjoy your meal.

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