An agriculture lover since childhood, Hach Chhorn won a scholarship to pursue his studies at Prek Leap National Institute of Agriculture before entering the sector.

After seeing his contemporaries in neighbouring countries raising Japanese snails – which can be sold at high prices – Chhorn decided to try raising them. He now farms three varieties, cherry, butter and durian snails.

Butter snails, as the name suggests, feature a light yellow flesh, while durian snails have a bright yellow colour – much light a ripe example off their namesake fruit. Cherry snails are a dark, chocolate brown.

“I enjoy experimenting. I actually began by trialling more than ten species. Following my experiments, I determined that the three kinds I am currently raising had the most potential as cash crops. They are resistant to climate change, they are resistant to rain and we do not have to buy a water filter. They eat a 100 per cent natural diet,” he said.

He started his operation a little over a year ago with just 3kg of snails, but now has thousands of snails in varying stages of growth on his farm in O’Rona village, Sre Khtum commune, Keo Seima district, Mondulkiri province.

Chhorn was able to import his snails from Thailand, saving on the freight from Japan, and because they breed 30 to 40 times a year, he can produce several thousand bay snails a year.

“There are other varieties which I would like to try my hand at farming, but they cost up to $500 per kilo to buy, which is a lot to get a breeding programme going. In contrast, the ones I am currently developing cost me about $100/kg. Currently, I am able to sell one or two kilos per day, for $100 each, although most of my customers are also farmers rather than restaurants,” he said.

In just a short time, his three types of baby snails have attracted many customers.

Chhorn quit his job as head of an NGO in 2016 to farm full time, originally raising just frogs, but adding many other species to his farm.

He explained that the name of his farm, 400 Farm, came about because he has 400 separate species there. In the future, this will increase to 700, he said.

“I have many breeds of pigeon. Some can reach up to ten million riel for a pair, while some are worth as little as 20,000 riel. There are places in Vietnam where people are earning several thousand dollars per month breeding pigeons, often on small blocks of land,” he said.https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/japanese-snails-new-cash-crop-clever-mondulkiri-farmer