Garden snails in Mossel Bay could soon prove to be a source of income for residents wanting to make extra cash.
A new factory that will be processing snails for local and foreign markets will open its doors in April.
And, according to one its directors, Fanie Pretorius, local residents can supply them with their garden snails and earn some cash in the process.
Pretorius, says there will be strict requirements for the snails and they will only take snails that are already mature.
The factory will pay between R10 and R25 per kilogram of snails.
As far as it is known, this snail factory will be the only factory of its kind in South Africa.
The snails will be used in cosmetics, for people to eat, and in animal and poultry feed.
Pretorius says the machines to process the snails, are already built. The snails will hibernate and then be processed.
The snails will be exported mainly to the US and Europe, and they hope to process up to 20 tons of snails per month.
