Berea, Aug. 20 — A total of 1,000 sheep have already been shorn in Berea from Teyateyaneng, Lekokoaneng and ’Mamathe Resource Centers, with the Teyateyaneng Wool and Mohair Growers Association targeting 4,000 sheep this shearing season.
This was confirmed by the association’s Deputy Chairman, Mr. Moji Chaba, during an interview with the Agency on Thursday.
However, Mr. Chaba said the shearing exercise is facing challenges related to the ongoing Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), which requires shearers to wear protective clothing.
He said the protective clothing is difficult to obtain, adding that people without the required protective clothing are not allowed to shear.
Mr. Chaba said another major challenge is the delay in receiving bales used to pack wool after shearing.
He emphasized that the bales have not yet arrived, while the amount of wool already shorn has increased and needs to be packed to make room for more wool.
He added that weather conditions have also affected the shearing process, noting that they had to suspend shearing during a period of extremely cold weather, which delayed progress.
“We are shearing the sheep in two phases, namely those belonging to members of the association and those belonging to non-association farmers. We are currently shearing sheep belonging to members of the association, and once we finish, we will proceed with those belonging to non-association farmers,” Mr. Chaba said.
Mr. Chaba said they expect to have completed the shearing exercise within the district by around September 17.
Ends/MTM/tl
