Goats ‘will help save hill country farmers’

Press, 1 July 1986, Page 38

Goats ‘will help save hill country farmers’

NZPA staff correspondent Hong Kong Goats will help save the hill-country farmers of New Zealand, says the president of the Mohair Producers Association, Mr Richard Macdonald. The slump in rural incomes was forcing hillcountry farmers to economise on fertilising and keeping clear marginal land which had been brought into production, he said. “A lot of that land is reverting back,” he said. “But goats are ideal for running on such properties — they keep the ground clear as well as providing cash income.” Mr Macdonald has just visited China on the first stage of a trip which will take him to Japan,

Europe, South Africa, and the annual International Mohair Association meeting in Turkey. Numbers of goat farmers in New Zealand had soared from about 1800 in 1985 to 3500 this year, he said. Many were on hill-country sheep properties seeking to diversify.

No danger existed of over-production, said Macdonald. World demand for mohair was excellent and New Zealand’s cross-bred cashgora, which makes up the majority of New Zealand production, had now been accepted as a new natural fibre.

Uncertainity over South Africa, the world’s main supplier, was likely also to strengthen demand. The fluctuating dollar had had no downward impact on prices.

Last year a total of 75 tonnes of goat fibre was exported. Projections for this year are for 140 tonnes of cashgora, 60 tonnes of mohair, and 30 tonnes of cashmere. Virtually all New Zealand’s fibre is exported.

Mohair comes from pure-bred angoras, cashmere from feral goats, and cashgora from crossed feral does and pedigree studs. Once production reached about 500 tonnes, New Zealand could consider setting up its own processing facility, said Mr Macdonald. Main markets for mohair are Europe and Japan but China’s industry had potential as the country moved to boost its exports of more fashionable clothing. A big Shanghai textile mill has been testing New

Zealand mohair and had found it to be of better quality than competing product from the United States, Australia, Turkey, and South Africa, said Mr Macdonald.

Because of foreign exchange problems, the Chinese were still sourcing ' relatively small amounts of mohair through third countries rather than directly from New Zealand, he said.

The New Zealand mohair is two to three microns finer than that of other countries and the Chinese had reported yields of 88 per cent from each kilogram of fibre, compared with yields as low as 60 per cent from some American product.

“Our fibre is less greasy,” said Mr Macdonald. “The Chinese were very pleased with it;

they’ve found the quality of Australian product they’ve bought unsatisfactory — it’s too variable.” New Zealand’s single selling, producer-operated buying and marketing system enabled tight quality control, he said.

Some Australian farmers shipped their product to New Zealand because the marketing and distribution system was better than their own, he said.

Mr Macdonald will also visit South Africa to check the progress of negotiations to import quality angora embryos to improve New Zealand bloodlines.

The contacts between both countries’ Ministries of Agriculture had been endorsed at Government level in spite of the severing of diplomatic relations in 1984.