Did you know that there are estimated to be around
300 snail farms in former war torn Bosnia? One kilogram of
snails is sold for four around euros (£2.70). France is the
number one export destination, followed by Italy. The aim
is for a snail farmer to produce around 3,000kg of snails
in a year. That means an annual income of around 12,000
euros (£8,100) – around four times the national average
wage. The British chief international envoy to Bosnia, Lord
Ashdown, has made a priority of trying to encourage small
businesses. He set up a so-called “Bulldozer” committee to
smash through the red tape and old-style communist
legislation that hindered the setting up of new companies.
“Small and medium-size firms, like snail farms, represent
the future of this country rather than the old pre-war
industries, which are not coming back,” says Vedran Persic
from Lord Ashdown’s office.