Do you want to learn how to export snail from Nigeria?
I bet you do.
Many are trying their hands on different businesses with the hope it will yield profits. There are many things that one could consider before going into business.
Passion is one but profit is also very important. If you are in the same shoe where you want to be your own boss or you are thinking of where to invest, snail export is a lucrative exporting business in Nigeria.
After all the global snail export business is worth over $1billion.
In case you are wondering what is so special about a snail that it would be a lucrative product of trade, wonder no more.
Snail, just like other seafood, is very nutritional but it also has cosmetic value because the slime from the snail is good for skin rejuvenation.
African traditional restaurants in Diaspora demand for snail in high quantity because of the demand from Africans living abroad.
Apart from that, the snail is used in Asian countries to make herbs.
Evidently, snail exporting is one of the exporting business that can guarantee a profit.
And luckily, West Africa (of which Nigeria is part of) boasts of a lot of snails.
However, if you want to start exporting snail from Nigeria, there are a few things you must know and even do.
The first thing you need to do will probably come as a surprise to you on why it is on the list but it is important.
First is your readiness. Whereas snail export is lucrative but just like any other business, you need to be ready to work.
Laziness will not cut it if you actually want to make a meaningful return at the end of the day. You have to count your cost before you start building your home.
Now, that is not simply talking about financial readiness. While that is necessary, the mental and emotional readiness is important. You have to understand, before starting the business, that you will give in your all and be ready to push on if you are meant with challenges on the way.
The next thing is to prepare. It is similar to the above but they are quite different. Whereas the above is more mental, preparedness is physical and material.
Equip yourself with any and all information that would help your business. Luckily, we are in the information age now and there is practically anything that is not on the internet.
All you need is good network and a gadget. The information you need is a click away. However, whether we like it or not, some things are better experienced because experience really is the best teacher, so you will need to acquaint yourself with people who have been in the business before you.
Ask them any and every question you know would help and be ready to learn. In fact, there are many people who have heard to work under another, so as to learn under them because some things you cannot learn on the internet. Theoretical knowledge cannot be compared to practical knowledge.
Then, to fully get started, you will need to register your business. If you want to make your business big and you want to ensure trust with your international partners, then they need the assurance of a registered business.
These foreigners will be reluctant to hear whatever you have to say if your business is not recognized by the Nigerian government. Registration makes them feel you are legit.
However, not registering can also, firstly, affect you in the terms of importing and exporting because you will be dealing with the customs office. And secondly, it can limit all legal actions if your business is not registered. Luckily, things are getting easier and the bureaucracy involved to get your business registered is not as bad as it used to be. Visit the Corporate Affair Commission (CAC) for more information on how to go about registering a business.
One thing that usually delays getting your business registered is getting a business name.
Some people spend months on it because their business name keeps getting rejected. So make sure you think about a unique name before attempting to register.
After getting the registration with CAC, you will also need to get a license from the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
Considering you will be exporting out of the country, you have to get licensed before you are allowed to export, especially, when you want to export in large quantity or land a large contract with an international buyer.
When all the legalities are all taken care of, you will need to find suppliers for your snail.
Suppliers for snail are quite easy to come by, especially in our country, because as mentioned earlier, Nigeria is a large producer of a snail.
All you will need to do is find the suppliers and that you can do by either going online to source for them yourself or speaking to people who have been in the business ahead of you if you know anyone of them.
Now, remember that you should not go with a supplier at first glance. Of course, if they come highly recommended, you can consider them.
But you need to be sure they will give you a quality product for good service before deciding to go with them.
Remember your business with the foreigner is based on trust and you will not want to lose customers due to errors from your suppliers.
Before making a choice on which supplier to go with, ask yourself some pertinent questions:
- like how is their service?
- how is their product (the snails)?
- do they keep to their word?
- do they respond swiftly?
- do they delay supply?
- what is the cost?
These and more are some of the questions you need to ask yourself before committing to a supplier.
On the other hand, you could also start your own farm. Starting a snail farm is not so expensive, luckily, and when you learn all the ropes, it will serve you better than getting from a supplier.
Snails lay eggs, so reproduction is in more quantity. Understand, however, that you should only consider starting a snail farm if you are sure you will have the time and energy to it. If not, buying from other snail farmers to exporting is also profiting.
After you have gotten suppliers, you need to find foreign buyers. It might be hard to believe but demand for snail in the international market is at the present, higher than supply. So you can find your way in quite easily.
The first point of contact is the internet. One can easily find all forms of information on the internet these days and you need is patience and dedication. You can check for restaurants, especially African restaurants in these foreign countries and contact them.
You can also seek for herbal companies, especially in Asian countries, who would need the snail as part of their mixture. Or you can simply just find snail buyers in different countries.
Now, understand that although the internet is full of useful information, it is also full of junk, and so you cannot afford to feed off everything you see there. You need to carefully sift the information and separate the wheat from the chaffs.
The problem with falling for the chaff is that they might be on the outlook for whom to swindle, so you need to be careful there and be discerning.
Another way of getting buyers is through international trade fairs and fairs organized by organizations like the NEPC (Nigeria Export Promotion Council).
That is why it is important to identify with them. Make sure you attend and make contacts even if they do not go with you at that moment or tell you they already have a supplier. Keep contacts, it can work in your favor one day.
Then you can also get information from people who have gone ahead of you in the business. This might be quite tricky because it is rare for people to hand valuable information to the competition. But there is no harm in trying. And some have also written materials that come at a price for the information you seek.
Once you have gotten your suppliers and you have contacted them and all is in place for supply, some people try to handle export themselves but it might be quite strenuous.
Find a freight forwarder for shipment. They are well informed about the requirements and procedures as well as the all the payments and duties required at the air and seaport.
So you will not have to go through the stress of possibly making mistakes when you need to supply your goods. Remember that before shipping, you need to package your products well to avoid spoilage while in transit.
From the above, it is clear how lucrative snail export and even more interesting is that it is not too expensive to start. If you are thinking of the business of you, then you can consider the snail export.