Windhoek
Livestock farming plays an important role in the agricultural sector and contributes significantly to the economic and social conditions of people in Namibia and southern Africa as a whole.
For this reason Agra, in partnership with the Centre of Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), trained a total of 24 farmers on small stock farming last week at the Pelt Centre in Windhoek.
The training mainly focussed on applied animal health, livestock handling and market dynamics. These efforts are geared towards empowering the farming community by strengthening their knowledge and skills on Swakara production. Interventions of this nature complement government efforts on poverty eradication and wealth creation.
Navachab Gold Mine, in partnership with the Erongo Regional Council, traditional authorities and Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) last year handed over 20 Swakara ewes (female sheep) and one Swakara ram (male sheep) to 24 farmers and households in the Erongo Region.
The current training follows the initial training conducted after the handover, to up-skill the farmers on the Swakara production system. As part of promoting Namibia’s black diamonds, Swakara pelts, the Swakara (Karakul) Board of Namibia, in cooperation with the Beijing branch of Kopenhagen Fur, are conducting a survey to explore the possibility of investigating the Chinese market for Swakara.
The survey will provide better understanding of the market and support the board to develop and run marketing campaigns. The campaigns will target designers, manufacturers and customers to gaugethe potential market for Swakara pelts in China.
Agra as the sole marketing agent of the sought-after pelts and the Karakul (Swakara) Board of Namibia represented the industry at two high-profile international fur shows last year.
Agra’s manager for social business and services Wessel Visser, Swakara board member Tobie le Roux and Jaco van Zyl, Agra’s technical advisor for Swakara production, represented Swakara at the Hong Kong Fur and Fashion Fair in China.
Swakara was also represented at the Milan International Fur Fair – Mi-Fur, in Italy by Dagmar Hὅnsbein, general manager of Agra ProVision. With its velvety texture, Swakara fur has become designers’ favourite choice for high-end garments and accessories. This is evident on international catwalks and fashion shows.
At last year’s Hong Kong Fair’s gala dinner and fashion show, attended by more than 2 000 people, Swakara was prominent on the catwalk, with seven out of the 13 designers exhibiting the proudly Namibian product as part of their collection. On the Italian Fur Fashion Night, Swakara was witnessed in couture of four out of seven Italian designers presented.