By Tapologo Radithipa, Antonio Rota, Ivonald Da Cruz and Philipp Baumgartner
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The Kingdom of Lesotho’s, Quthing sheep stud, recently played host to a significant event – the first public auction of quality Merino ewes and rams. With the backing of the IFAD funded Wool and Mohair Promotion Project (WAMPP), a number of farmers descended upon the stud where a total amount of 482,790 Maloti (US$33,635) was spent on 63 ewes and 75 rams. The significance of the event lies in the fact that this auction provides a pathway for Basotho farmers to purchase quality breeding stock that previously could only be accessed in neighbouring South Africa.
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This dependence on South Africa forced Basotho farmers to incur a number of costs, for instance paying high prices for quality-breeding stock, transporting the animals into Lesotho and subsequently paying taxes at the border. This first attempt to auction quality breeding stock in Lesotho represents a key milestone for the wool and mohair industry and the country more generally. An estimated 70 per cent of the population live in rural areas, the bulk of which reside in the mountain regions where the main source of income for the rural poor is derived from the rearing of sheep and goat.
The auction was attended by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Litšoane Litšoane, high-ranking government officials, the chairperson of Lesotho’s national Wool and Mohair Growers Association, the project management unit of WAMPP and IFAD representatives. In his speech, the Honourable Minister expressed his heartfelt appreciation and acknowledged all the strides that stakeholders had embarked upon in order to ensure the project is a success.
Zooming out:
The auctioning of quality breeding stock is the last step of a broader strategy that WAMPP is supporting and the Lesotho National Wool and Mohair Growers Association, the private sector representative remains a key partner in this endeavour. As part of the project, a comprehensive National Breeding Plan which provides the framework for registering and genetically selecting Merino sheep and Angora goats in Lesotho has been developed with the contribution of local and South African experts and it is currently being implemented.
Further activities being driven by the project include the refurbishing of facilities in Quthing; the recruitment of technical staff and the acquisition of equipment and quality breeding stock from South Africa. Commercial sheep and goat stockbreeders are also being certified and registered, this is to ensure that they act as multipliers of quality animals in order to make them available in each district of the country. This will ensure that smallholder farmers are able to purchase sheep and goats at an affordable price. The programme is completed by an “incentive scheme” which provides smallholder farmers with the opportunity to exchange four low quality animals for culling against a top-quality ram to reduce inbreeding and therefore, boost productivity.
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Back to the auction:
Although the auction proved to be a success, it forms part of a broader puzzle that aims to transform the quality and quantity of breeding stock in Lesotho and ultimately lead to improved incomes for the country’s smallholder producers.
IFAD is proud to have supported Lesotho in this step towards the transformation of the wool and mohair sector at national scale. The Grower’s Association managing the breeding centres is congratulated, as well as the government and project management unit for this achievement.
The Kingdom of Lesotho’s, Quthing sheep stud, recently played host to a significant event – the first public auction of quality Merino ewes and rams. With the backing of the IFAD funded Wool and Mohair Promotion Project (WAMPP), a number of farmers descended upon the stud where a total amount of 482,790 Maloti (US$33,635) was spent on 63 ewes and 75 rams. The significance of the event lies in the fact that this auction provides a pathway for Basotho farmers to purchase quality breeding stock that previously could only be accessed in neighbouring South Africa.
This dependence on South Africa forced Basotho farmers to incur a number of costs, for instance paying high prices for quality-breeding stock, transporting the animals into Lesotho and subsequently paying taxes at the border. This first attempt to auction quality breeding stock in Lesotho represents a key milestone for the wool and mohair industry and the country more generally. An estimated 70 per cent of the population live in rural areas, the bulk of which reside in the mountain regions where the main source of income for the rural poor is derived from the rearing of sheep and goat.The auction was attended by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Litšoane Litšoane, high-ranking government officials, the chairperson of Lesotho’s national Wool and Mohair Growers Association, the project management unit of WAMPP and IFAD representatives. In his speech, the Honourable Minister expressed his heartfelt appreciation and acknowledged all the strides that stakeholders had embarked upon in order to ensure the project is a success.
Zooming out:
The auctioning of quality breeding stock is the last step of a broader strategy that WAMPP is supporting and the Lesotho National Wool and Mohair Growers Association, the private sector representative remains a key partner in this endeavour. As part of the project, a comprehensive National Breeding Plan which provides the framework for registering and genetically selecting Merino sheep and Angora goats in Lesotho has been developed with the contribution of local and South African experts and it is currently being implemented.
Further activities being driven by the project include the refurbishing of facilities in Quthing; the recruitment of technical staff and the acquisition of equipment and quality breeding stock from South Africa. Commercial sheep and goat stockbreeders are also being certified and registered, this is to ensure that they act as multipliers of quality animals in order to make them available in each district of the country. This will ensure that smallholder farmers are able to purchase sheep and goats at an affordable price. The programme is completed by an “incentive scheme” which provides smallholder farmers with the opportunity to exchange four low quality animals for culling against a top-quality ram to reduce inbreeding and therefore, boost productivity.
Back to the auction:
Although the auction proved to be a success, it forms part of a broader puzzle that aims to transform the quality and quantity of breeding stock in Lesotho and ultimately lead to improved incomes for the country’s smallholder producers.
IFAD is proud to have supported Lesotho in this step towards the transformation of the wool and mohair sector at national scale. The Grower’s Association managing the breeding centres is congratulated, as well as the government and project management unit for this achievement.