Eastern Cape tree farmers cash in on wattle bark sales
By Lwazi Ngqwebo (NCT) and Eza Mapipa (NTE)

NCT members in the Eastern Cape have seized the opportunity created by the current demand for wattle bark to utilise their timber resources more effectively.
The devastating fire that damaged infrastructure at NCT’s Richards Bay mill in September last year was a significant blow to the South African wattle industry. Wattle growers were forced to cut back on their harvesting plans because of the NCT mill’s reduced capacity to receive and chip timber.


This inevitably impacted the wattle bark industry, which faced a reduction in the volume of bark delivered to the bark factories. But every storm cloud has a silver lining.
In the past, NCT members in the Eastern Cape would discard bark with the rest of the harvesting residue. Now they have found a way to supply stick bark to the NTE Hermannsburg Factory, with the support of NCT and NTE. This provides them with an additional source of revenue for their forest enterprises.
While multiple challenges associated with the transportation of forest raw material (timber and wattle bark) from the Eastern Cape province into Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) for primary processing are evergreen, enthusiastic NCT members from the Stutterheim, Komga and Elliot areas have pioneered a tough journey with bravery and success.


Covering an average one-way distance of 550km from the loading site to the factory, these passionate growers are the first NCT members to deliver stick bark to NTE in the 2023/2024 season.
Eastern Cape farmer Murray Elliott said he is happy to help support the wattle bark Industry and is excited about being one of the first wattle growers to deliver stick bark from the Eastern Cape. Selling the bark adds significant financial value to the cash flow of wattle growers.
The NTE factory management was reported to be satisfied with the quality and presentation of the stick bark from the Eastern Cape. These growers are certainly trendsetters, and what they have achieved marks the beginning of a promising future for wattle growers in the province.
It is expected that more NCT members will be inspired by the wattle bark champions of the Eastern Cape and will follow them. Forestry is a long-term investment, and what cannot be ignored is that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
With positive cash flow benefits being realised by members from this initiative, there is a solid intention to convert self-seeded wattle plantations into managed stands, providing better harvest yields in timber and bark.


The Eastern Cape is a greenfield opportunity that has the potential to attract forestry investments. Land is an abundant natural resource in the province, with minimal alternative economic opportunities.
NCT and NTE representatives believe that large-scale forestry development in the province is long overdue, and the potential for selling wattle stick bark provides an added incentive.
The Eastern Cape farmers have delivered four loads of stick bark to date, and another three loads are currently in the drying sheds, where they will stay for eight weeks before they are despatched to the bark factory. Although the factories continue to prioritise fresh, same-day bark, they are equally happy to accept stick bark from further afield if it is properly harvested, dried and bundled.
The innovative Eastern Cape farmers are utilising their trucks for the 500km journey to the factory. They are making it worthwhile by securing return loads.
Another benefit of this initiative is that the wattle harvesting and bark stripping operations are done by hand. It is labour-intensive work that is helping to create much-needed jobs in the region.
- Source: This article was first published in NCT’s News & Views magazine (September 2024) and was edited by Chris Chapman.