LAWRENCE KEKETSO Lesotho’s combined wool and mohair sales at the close of the first auction season, which ended this month, have recorded around M570.0 million. The figure, according to Minister of Small Businesses Development, Chalane Phori, is way above what has been reported to be the value of the wool market in Lesotho in the past and yet this season only about half of the produce was sold to the international markets. “The sales only cover 22,000 bales of wool and mohair that was sold and yet we were expecting around 48,000 bales. The question is, where has the rest of the produce been taken to? Are the farmers still hiding some wool and mohair?” he asked a meeting of farmers convened at Thaba-Bosiu at one of the local lodges on Saturday. According to the government figures and projections, the close of the auction season shows that the country could make over M1.2 billion every year from wool and mohair, if all the farmers heed the new government policy of localising the produce trade. Phori said it was understandable from these figures that  Basotho farmers can benefit more if they do not allow themselves to be divided on what could be the best way forward for the industry. “The government can only do as much as making policies and supporting them with the necessary laws, but in the end the industry is yours and it is up to you as farmers to work together and do what is right for your own benefit,” he said. He also told the farmers that even though the government has recently lost the court case on the localisation of wool and mohair trade, it was still a firm stance of his ministry and a government policy that no produce would be allowed to be taken out of the country for auctioning. “We are firm on this decision. All the wool and mohair will be sold and processed inside this country. We are not going to change on this one. If anyone thinks the wool and mohair of Basotho farmers will be shipped out to brokers outside this country, they will have to castrate me first,” he said firmly. He informed the farmers that the government has already lodged an appeal to the High Court’s decision, but said in the meantime the laws of the country will still prevail. “This country is governed by laws and those laws will be respected. We are not going to allow chaos. Anybody, from anywhere who wants to deal in Lesotho’s wool and mohair is free to come and open operations in this country. We have an open door policy and that’s it,” he said. The meeting which was called by the farmers themselves had representatives from all the districts of the country, except Botha-Bothe and Mohale’s Hoek. Explaining the purpose of the gathering, a member of the steering committee, Mokonyana Tšiame, said as farmers they believed their leadership should have been in the forefront in addressing all the farmer’s concerns, but that was not the case. “Right now the issue is not about how we differ as farmers, but our concerns about late payments to the produce sold and security concerns around the shearing season for goats,” Tšiame said, calling on the farmers to speak in one voice to call their leadership to order. He further called on the government to help those farmers who would like to use the government sheds for shearing to be given security assurance so that they are not forced into delays for the goat season, to which Minister Phori said all those who are facing problems with the local shed committees should register such in writing so that the minister of police and of security can be made aware for prompt action. Amongst some of the concerns also raised by farmers at the meeting was that government should take charge and ensure that the divisions currently disrupting the wool and mohair industry are done away with. “We are sick and tired of being categorised as “Ba-Thaba-Bosiu” and “Ba-BKB”. We are all Basotho farmers and we want this industry to grow,” said one of the farmers. Farmers also asked to be helped on their payments to be made speedily as this was not only disrupting their normal lives, but also their farming development plans. “It is from this money that we also buy feeds and medicines for our livestock, while we also feed our families from the same money,” another farmer said. The season end for the wool auction which started on November 22, 2018 will see the opening of the goat season which starts shearing in April/May this year. According to the Lesotho Wool Centre communications officer, Manama Letsie, the ending season has been a great lesson for the centre and the government in the implementation of the localisation policy. Letsie said while they acknowledge challenges, especially on their part on delayed payments, the centre now believes all systems will run smoothly in the next season. “Some of the challenges we never anticipated while some were deliberate on the part of those who are anti this new policy implementation, but in the end we were all victors,” he said. He called on the farmers to work in oneness and support the wool centre for the project to be a success, saying some of the benefits that were promised the farmers are already showing, such as good prices for their produce and reduced costs for them to reach the markets. “Since we started the auctions in November last year, we have been very competitive on the prices we get for the local farmer and for that we should be applauded,” he said. The Lesotho Wool Centre auctions its stocks on e-platforms, selling directly to production firms mainly in China.