Windhoek
This month sees another consignment of highly sought-after Swakara pelts being auctioned at the international Kopenhagen Fur auction.
Agra’s Pelt Centre has shipped a total of 55 042 Swakara pelts to Denmark. In total there are 59 259 pelts on offer, including 4217 unsold pelts from the April auction. The pelts will be auctioned on September 25, at Kopenhagen Fur in Copenhagen, Denmark. A delegation of representatives from Agra and the Karakul (Swakara) Board of Namibia will attend this auction. As part of the promotion of Namibia’s black diamonds, the Swakara pelts, the Swakara (Karakul) Board of Namibia, in cooperation with the Beijing branch of Kopenhagen Fur, are surveying the Chinese market for Swakara. This survey will provide better understanding of the market, supporting the board to develop and run marketing campaigns. The campaigns will target designers, manufacturers and customers to gauge for the potential market for Swakara pelts in China.
Raimar von Hase, Chairperson of the Swakara (Karakul) Board, says it is always challenging to make a prediction with auctions, but he is hopeful that it would be a resounding success. “We are confident that the auction will go well. Swakara was prominently visible at the 50 year anniversary fashion show of Karl Lagerfeld, alongside other powerful brands like Gucci and Prada. Hence, our proudly Namibian product is gaining international interest from fur lovers,” he explains. He continues that with the Greek financial situation now being stable, they expect Greek buyers at the auction. Wessel Visser, Agra ProVision’s Manager for Social Business and Services and Manager of the Pelt Centre shares von Hase’s sentiments. “Following on from the recent developments in the fur industry, some buyers are now returning to the auction house with the exchange rate in favour of the Namibian farmers, it really can be a very successful auction for Namibia” he concurs confidently.
Earlier this year, 93 percent of the Swakara’s total offering was sold at the April pelts auction in Denmark. Of the total of 60 910 Swakara pelts, 56 693 were sold at this auction on April 18. The average price of N$461.74 (DKK 266.72) represents a decrease of 17.76% in Namibian Dollar terms (in Danish Krone (DKK), a decrease of 9.7%) on the N$ 561.47 (DKK 295.35) achieved at last September’s auction. The pelts sold consisted of 42 350 black, 10 406 white, 2 648 spotted and 1 289 diverse pelts.