Mediawave Ng …….Your reliable news platform.
An expert on snail farming, Mr Ukonu Ukonu has called for a shift from mere snail consumption to the extraction of its slime due to its enormous benefits.
Ukonu spoke on the benefits of snail slime in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
The expert urged Nigerians to grab the opportunities in the snail value-chain.
According to Ukonu, profits from snail slime mining are more than the gains of only consuming the snail meat.
“We will benefit from snail farming if we make a shift from just consuming its meat to exploring the benefits in its slime, shell and other by-products.
“The profit from snail meat is just a tip of the iceberg in comparison to the industrial benefits of its slime in the production of medicines and cosmetics.
“Extracting the slime is a win-win for the snail farmer because technology has made it possible to extract the slime without killing the snail,’’ he said.
Ukonu said that the snail could be preserved even after the extraction of its slime for industrial purposes.
He asserted that the slime from snail could also help in reducing stress when applied to the surface of the face or when its shells were used.
“If you put the snails in a Muller One Slime Extraction Machine for about one hour, they will all come out alive after the extraction of the slime. Farmers can even extract twice daily.
“Snail slime has the therapeutic benefits of reducing stress when applied to the face. The empty snail shells also reduce stress when placed in the ears for about 15 minutes.
“There is so much we can do when we improve the snail value-chain and it can be used to empower Nigerians when its benefits are fully utilised,” Ukonu said.
