Sounds of joy came from the mountain that borders the villages of Khowas and AB Xuma in the Eastern Cape when 32 farmers received shearing shed equipment worth over a million Rand.
The equipment was purchased at the cost of R 1.4 million and it forms part of the Eastern Cape department of agriculture and agrarian reform’s efforts to commercialise rural farmers and ignite the economy through farming in far-flung areas.
The department said the beneficiaries have been equipped with all the necessary training to effectively manage and operate the shearing shed.
Good timing
Nozukile Wayiza, a sheep farmer who is part of the beneficiaries from the Ngqaweni Farmers Association, said the donation was going to go a long way in making sure that they also partake in the economy of the province.
“I joined this association in 2014. At the time we used to travel over the hills with our livestock and they would be injured along the way, which used to cost us money,” Wayiza said.
The investment by the department will ensure great returns for wool producers in AB Xuma’s local municipality and the surrounding areas.
“Even when we had our own place where we sheared sheep, the wool would get ruined and we’d lose income. Now that the department has built this facility for us so we are going to get improved wool quality and better returns,” Wayiza said.
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Reaching new heights
The wool industry in the Eastern Cape has grown to great heights. “In the previous season, shearing sheds across the Dr AB Xuma municipal area contributed 170 000kgs of wool with an income of R10.9 million. A bulk of that wool was sold to BKB while 2% was sold to Custom Woolen Mills,” the department said in a statement.
Ngqaweni Farmers Association chairperson Ndikho Manuku said ever since the association started, they have made more than R1.5 million.
“We first built a shed using timber. After a while, that structure fell apart and we had to build another one with corrugated iron. The department has now given us this fully equipped structure and we are joyful because we are going to make more money,” he said.
Manukau said apart from the informal shearing sheds, the main challenge they were faced with was the condition of the roads which made it unbearable for them to continue with their operations.
Investment in quality
MEC Nonkqubela Pieters said the provincial government had invested in the wool growers in the province with the key focus of developing them so that more jobs could be created in the rural communities.
“We invest in infrastructure for rural wool growers so that they may stop using rondavels to shear their sheep. When they have fully equipped shearing structures in place, their wool will be of good quality.
“These will ensure that they improve their income. We also urged our farmers to care for the facilities that they are given by the government to ensure the investment has good returns,” she said.
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