Meet the young Ghanaian graduate lady who is into snail farming
Whenever you hear of the word courageous, think of no other name than Maame Abena Serwah Donkor.
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This is a young lady has mustered the courage to venture into a field where not many people will dare, and she has created a wonderful success story.
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Maame Abena is a graduate of the Accra Technical University, but has decided to go into snail farming as a profession.
Despite graduating with a certificate in Operations and Supply Chain Management, she has opted to be a snail farmer and has even gone on to train others in the occupation.
She narrated the story of how everything started for her: the inspiration, challenges and the positives.
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According to her, the idea to go into snail farming started with her appetite for snails, which generated into something more as time went by.
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Read her inspirational story below:
Hi!
My name is Maame Serwah Donkor and I’m a snail Farmer
Here’s why….
Snails have been my favorite type of meat for years now and like any other Ghanaian I only get to eat them when they are in season, twice a year.
Until I discovered “edible” snails in my backyard was when I learned through research that snails could actually be reared and made available throughout the year!
With the support of my friend who had knowledge about heliculture I set up my first snail pen with 60 snails from my backyard!
Fast forward now I have a mini Snail farm of about 2000 of three different species in a small area around where I live! Over the months I have studied snails and how to raise them as a practicing farmer and gone on to train others to start up as well!
Snails are a very nutritious source of protein with a huge breeding potential in Ghana and Africa as a whole. An average snail is comprised of 80% water, 15% protein and 2.4% fat. They contain essential fatty acids, calcium, iron, selenium, magnesium and are a rich source of vitamins E, A, K and B12,making it a healthier choice of meat for human consumption.You’ll be surprised to find that the biggest retail malls in the Accra city never have snails in stock!
Snails are also used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. The benefits of snail slime were recognised in ancient Greece to heal skin and ulcers and to reduce scarring. More recently, Chilean snail farmers highlighted the benefits when they noticed cuts on their hands healed very quickly and their skin became softer. This is because the slime contains antibiotics, glycolic acid,collagen and elastin, and so it heals and regenerates skin cells minimising scars. Today there are Spas in Asia that treat various skin ailments with snail slime.
Although snails are better reared especially in West Africa, it’s sad to learn that out of the average 500,000 tons of snails consumed annually all over the world,less than a quarter is produced from Africa!In Ghana when they’re out of season they go as high as GH50 for 4 medium sized ones,which an average Ghanaian may not be able to afford.
Now with a long term goal of future expansion, global export and job creation GH20,000 can enable me brand my snail business with world class quality and expose by training, especially the young and unemployed entrepreneurial minded to become successful snail farmers as well.
Let me take this opportunity to Thank You WorldRemit for providing hassle free remittance services for my family and friends for 4 years and also supporting the women of Ghana through this great initiative!
#MyFutureGh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
