Simpiwe Somdyala, Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA), led a multi-stakeholder delegation on a visit to the Ivili Loboya animal fibre processing and manufacturing facility in Butterworth, Eastern Cape.
The delegation comprised ECRDA Executive Management and sector specialists, alongside representatives from the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Amathole District Municipality, Mnquma Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Development Corporation, and the National Agricultural Marketing Council.
The visit formed part of a broader effort to strengthen collaboration in the commercialisation of wool value chains, promote inclusive economic growth, and advance sector transformation in the province.
Ivili Loboya, an award-winning sheep and goat fibre processing plant, was showcased as a beacon of innovation in the Eastern Cape. Following the recent installation of new wool processing machinery, the facility had significantly increased its wool fibre input capacity and was now processing more than ten times its original requirement.
Despite these advances, the engagement highlighted the need for further government support to meet growing demand and enhance production. Key support areas discussed included mobilising communal wool growers, increasing the number of sheep sheared at local shearing sheds, and improving breeding programmes, farm infrastructure, and wool preprocessing to remove vegetable matter and improve fibre quality.
ECRDA reaffirmed its commitment to working with partners to support the Ivili Group in establishing an animal fibre agro-cluster within the Amathole District Municipality. The proposed agro-cluster would be linked to Ivili Loboya and Ivili Tex’s commercial offtake opportunities, creating new enterprises across the value chain and stimulating job creation in the region.
The visit underscored ECRDA’s continued dedication to building strategic partnerships that drive sustainable rural development and economic transformation across the Eastern Cape.
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