The disastrous snail that haunts many people is sought after and costs twice as much as beef.
As mollusks that destroy plants, snails are a nightmare for most farmers. However, many places consider them an expensive delicacy, and their mucus is even more expensive than gold.
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| Snails are animals that specialize in destroying crops. |
During many years of farming, Mr. Luong Hoang Long (residing in Lam Thao, Phu Tho) said,snailare abundant in the garden of nearly 2,000m22Grow vegetables and fruit trees but have not yet had a way to destroy them all because they reproduce too quickly.
“This type of snail eats all plants, especially plants with new shoots. When my family planted squash or mustard greens, there were countless snails. The young squash fruits that had just come out were eaten by snails, and the mustard greens beds had to be covered with mosquito nets or they would be eaten clean,” said Mr. Long.
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| Many farmers catch hundreds of tons of snails every night. |
Not only is this snail omnivorous, it also “appears and disappears” because during the day it burrows into the ground or crawls into the bushes to hide. To kill the snails, the only way is to use a light at night to catch each one, crush them, and cover them with soil to prevent the stench. Some households go out at night to catch dozens of kilograms at once, bringing them home to crush for ducks to eat or soak to water plants.
According to Mr. Long, this type of snail often hides underground in damp places, can eat leaves, young shoots or even garbage, waste, often infected with worms or parasites, so no one in his hometown dares to eat it.
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| They become the nightmare of farmers. |
For Ms. Trinh Thi Vy (living in Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan), snails have become a nightmare for many families growing dragon fruit. Every night, people have to shine lights to catch them all night because even if they are poisoned, they will not die.
“A few years ago, people bought them for 2,000 VND/kg, but now no one buys them anymore, we can't kill them all. In addition, there are countless small snails now, especially on rainy days when we go out and collect a few hundred kilograms, it's really haunting," Ms. Vy sighed.
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| Mr. Giang said he once exchanged this plate of snails for an amount equivalent to 2 kg of beef. |
On the contrary, according to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Giang, residing in Hong Ngu town (Dong Thap), snails have long become "specialty"Sold at a higher price than some other types of snails, even if you want to eat them you have to order them from somewhere else.
Pointing to a plate of snails with about 1 kg of snail intestines, Mr. Giang said he once exchanged it for 2 kg of beef. “The big snails are sold for 60,000 VND/kg, and there was even a time when there was a shortage and we had to buy them for 120,000 VND/kg. If we wanted to eat them, we had to order them from Cao Lanh. We bought them, locked them up, starved them, or fed them cassava for a few more days to clean them before processing them,” said Mr. Giang.
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| Snail mucus is used in many countries around the world in the beauty industry. |
To prepare the most delicious snails, according to Mr. Giang, you need to remove all the intestines, take only the head, squeeze out the slime, soak in salt water, then stir-fry with lemongrass and chili or grill with lemongrass leaves.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, Institute of Biotechnology - Food Technology (Hanoi University of Science and Technology) said that many people often think that snails are dirty and poisonous so they do not dare to eat them, but in fact, this type of snail can be very delicious and nutritious.
According to him, snails themselves are not poisonous, but they often eat grass and trees, so they can eat poisonous mushrooms or plants sprayed with pesticides around them. That is the cause of poisoning after eating snails. In addition, this mollusk often contains strange proteins, which can easily cause allergies to some people with sensitive skin.
Therefore, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh recommends that you should only use healthy snails that live in clean areas. Before processing, you should leave the snails for a day and a night to release all dirt or toxins. If you only eat the snail meat, removing all the intestines and digestive tract, it will not affect your health.
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| Snails have even become a luxury street food in France. |
In the world,marketSerum refined from snail slime is favored by many leading cosmetic brands, even having a high price.more expensive than gold.
Specifically, in Thailand, in 2019, a cosmetics company called Aden supplied snail mucus to Korean and American cosmetics companies in the form of dry powder for 1.8 million baht/kg, equivalent to about 58,200 USD/kg.
Demand is growing rapidly, and more and more snail farms are springing up in Thailand, and competition is fierce. With a quantity of 1,000 snails, a person can earn from 320 USD to 650 USD.
Additionally, some spas in Thailand offer snail facials, allowing the animals to crawl directly onto the customer's face.
In Italy, the so-called snail slime craze has seen snail farming increase by 325% in the past two decades, with the number of producers now reaching 4,000. Agricultural association Coldiretti estimates that 44,000 tonnes of live and preserved snails are produced in Italy each year, making up an industry worth £180m.
Research by Coherent Market Insights shows that the global snail beauty products market was valued at around $314.2 million in 2016. During the period 2018 - 2025, it will witness an annual growth rate of 11.22%.