The Heliculture Industry is still very new in South Africa.
Potential farmers have raised interest in the concept especially since the setup is considerably cheaper and easier than conventional farms and that the return on investment can be exponential.
Since around 2017 there have been farms that started snail farming. All of them have done well until they had to sell to the industry. Selling to grocery chains means that snails need to be processed and canned – and there is no plant that processes smaller quantities for contract farmers. Added to that, the flood of cheap Asian imports made it near impossible to undercut. Some restaurants with upmarket clientele would be willing to pay premium prices for premium products but the larger chains cut costs with lesser quality products. Therefore, some snail farmers have exited the industry.
Two farms in the Western Cape have joined hands in building a production plant that is able to can snail meat. This plant, however, is far from running at full capacity.
Our project aims to set up a processing plant in Gauteng which will be far more accessible to farmers nationwide. This plant will also be conveniently located close to OR Tambo and as such exports will be much more efficient.
By design, this project will create its own supply and demand. Women Farmers will supply to the plant and the processing plant will stimulate existing demand through extensive marketing campaigns. By building a plant in Gauteng farmers will save on transport costs and will receive a more competitive price for their produce.
Our project is also taking hands with the Department of Agriculture in forming a governing body which will ensure sustainability of the industry as a whole.