District-wide wool project
Location: Joe Gqabi District, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Nearest Towns/Cities: Sterkspruit, Aliwal North, Burgersdorp
Project Stage: Operations Phase / Construction Complete
Land Use Categories: Agriculture
Type of Private Sector involvement required: Equity Partners/Investors
Project Overview
The Eastern Cape is one of the highest wool producing provinces in the country (South Africa). According to the latest wool statistics from Cape Wool SA, Eastern Cape accounts for roughly 38.6% of the national wool production. Joe Gqabi District Municipality (JGDM) is the second highest wool producing District in the province behind Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM). JGDM accounts for 21.1% provincially and 8.1% nationally for wool production.
In 2018/19 production season, the district’s production increased by 10%, partly attributed by the increase in the number of sheep. Despite a considerable increase in the district’s production and good quality, there are still many challenges encountered by communal wool farmers. The challenges range from lack of adequate equipment to sort and class wool to lack of information relating to wool production and price trends.
The project aims to:
- Contribute to an improvement in the quality of the wool produced in the district.
- Facilitate formation of strategic partnerships with key industry role-players to leverage for training, research, information sharing, equipment, etc.
- Ensure the youth of JGDM takes advantages of the employment opportunities in the wool value chain.
Primary drivers for the project
- Contribute to an improvement in the quality of the wool produced in the district.
- Ensure the youth of JGDM takes advantages of the employment opportunities in the wool value chain.
Estimated number of jobs to be created: 10+
Enquiries
Potential investment partners are encouraged to send their details and a brief introduction to the Joe Gqabi Economic Development Agency (JoGEDA):
Please Ref. Wool project when replying. Thank you.
