Angora goats are not only cute, but they are also damn useful.

Worth more alive than dead – whoohooo – they produce the much-sought-after natural fibre mohair – and South Africa is the leading producer of this fine product, turning out more than half of the world’s supply.

Thankfully, there’s a non-profit who recognises this and has set up a trust to help entry-level farmers to get involved.

You see, if you find yourself in Port Elizabeth during selling season, bags of mohair are auctioned off to the highest bidder, who are both local and foreign. The industry began to pique interests just a few years ago when a record-breaking R632/kg was paid for a bag, beating the previous record of R601/kg.

So the BBC’s Taurai Maduna went to the country’s Eastern Cape region to find out more for his Africa Business Report, and what he found out about up-and-coming entry-level farmers was pretty interesting:

I told you it was interesting.

If you happen to have, or are on the hunt for, a farm and mohair production tickles your fancy, Mohair South Africa are more than willing to help you find your feet and figure out all the logistics that go into producing mohair that matches the top-notch quality we export.

Who knows, a new business venture? Why not.

[source: bbc]