By Val Matthias. Updated 8:37 a.m., Tuesday, September 2, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines has spent more than EC$678,000 fighting the Giant African Snail so far this year.
Speaking on Boom FM on Tuesday September 1st, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation and Industry, Hon Isreal Bruce said he had asked officials in the Ministry to provide figures on Government spending to combat the snail.
He said that between January and August 2026, taxpayers had spent approximately EC$678,439.18 on efforts to fight the Giant African Snail.
The money, he said, had been spent in efforts to control and kill the pest.
The figure adds a new financial dimension to a debate Minister Bruce began earlier this year after a visit to Nigeria, where he said he saw the same species of snail being served as food.
In comments made at a press conference following that visit, Mr Bruce said the Government had allocated approximately EC$7 million over three years to fight the Giant African Snail, which he warned still had the potential to devastate the country’s agricultural sector.
He said then, the threat posed by the pest had not disappeared.
However, his experience in Nigeria led him to question whether St Vincent and the Grenadines should explore another approach alongside eradication efforts.
Mr Bruce said he saw snails on the menu at a hotel restaurant in Abuja and asked kitchen staff whether they were Giant African Snails.
He said he showed them a photograph of a snail found on the compound of the Ministry of Agriculture in Kingstown andwas told it was the same species. He later said he wanted to explore whether the pest, if properly handled and prepared according to the necessary protocols, could potentially provide an economic opportunity.
Mr Bruce suggested that instead of spending millions solely attempting to eradicate or reduce the snail population, there could be possibilities for harvesting, processing and exporting the snails to markets where they are considered a delicacy.
He pointed to Nigeria, where he said he had been told snail meat was expensive and regarded as a delicacy.
He also referred to the Nigerian population in St Vincent and the Grenadines and the larger Nigerian diaspora in the United States as potential markets.
But the latest expenditure figure highlights the cost already being borne by taxpayers while the Government considers how best to deal with the invasive pest.
It remains unclear from his comments how that expenditure compares with the wider three-year EC$7 million plan he previously said had been developed to fight the pest.
What is clear, however, is that the Government is already spending substantial public funds on the battle.
END
About the Author: This story was written and submitted by freelance journalist Mr. Val Matthias, a trained communicator with more than two decades in the media sector. All supporting materials for this story have been presented, vetted, and verified. Mr Matthias can be reached at valmatthias188@gmail.com
