Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Tina Joemat-Pettersson said on Friday at the Agri SA congress that the "government was actively engaging the Chinese government".

China, the industry's biggest customer, imposed a ban on apparel wool imports from South Africa due to an outbreak of Rift Valley fever.

Last year, exports to China accounted for about 57 percent of wool and mohair revenue. Joemat-Pettersson said the government's commitment could be seen by her visits to China twice in the past few weeks, the deputy minister's visit to China over the weekend and the Chinese deputy minister of agriculture's visit to South Africa on October 25.

"This should be ample proof of the seriousness of which we regard the situation and the emphasis we are placing on resolving the crisis," she said.
Gerhard Grobler, the president of the Mohair Growers Association, said the biggest concern had been that the ban had crippled the fibre industry and severely influenced pricing.

"It's not only an economical influence on jobs on the ground but also affects what farmers can put into co-ops," Grobler said, adding that he had to cut down on a programme he had on his farm to educate his employees' children as a result of the decline in income.

Emerging farmers have been the worst hit by the ban. Sipiwo Makinana, who represents about 30 000 emerging farmers, said prices had declined as a result of China's withdrawal from the market.