If you drive around our villages you will see goats everywhere, yet South Africa is a relatively minor role player in goat farming. We are seemingly not aware of the business potential that goats have.

Considering that goats can survive almost anywhere in South Africa, we should be learning more about their meat, fibre, milk, skins and manure; and plan to take the space as commercial goat farmers.

As communities, we need to educate ourselves more on the commercial side of goats so that we move away from being small-scale communal farmers with indigenous goats to being commercial leaders. In South Africa, commercial farming is mainly done with Boer Goats, Savanna Goats, Kalahari Red and Angora goats (which produce mohair).

According to Agribook.co.za:

• Goat milk is highly prized for its quality of being less prone to cause allergies in humans than cow’s milk.
• Mohair is one of the rare noble fibres of the world.
• The Boer goat’s meat contains less fat, fewer calories and higher levels of protein and iron than meat from beef, pork, lamb and chicken. It is often called “chevon”, and from young animals, “cabrito”.

We need to create more awareness on goat farming and exporting in order to attract young and female black emerging and small-scale farmers.

So what are you waiting for, get yourself learning more about goats. Who knows, goats could one day be the new gold?

– Mokgokong Mokgethi