WINDHOEK – “The worldwide fur industry is currently going through deep waters. The very optimistic picture of the last three years is suddenly bleak and very dark clouds are casting a dark shadow over the immediate future. This is attributed to the warm winters in Russia and China, the biggest buyers of fur; the saturated market; the drop in mink prices and the uncertainty of the Russia/Ukraine political situation spreading across Europe.”
This was the message of Raimar von Hase, Chairperson of the Karakul (Swakara) Board of Namibia at last week’s Swakara Industry Forum in Keetmanshoop, where role players and stakeholders discussed the developments in the industry.
Von Hase said the overall fur price drop also affected Swakara prices, because the Swakara price structure is pegged to that of mink. The Swakara Board of Namibia organised the forum, which was graced by the attendance of two international guests; Mike Moser, Director of Standards, Welfare and Science from the International Fur Federation (IFF) and Ditte Sorknaes, Marketing Manager at Kopenhagen Fur.
Moser informed the producers on the importance of fur internationally and the strict code of conduct the fur industry operates under. “Many communities depend almost entirely on the fur trade, for instance in Kastoria, Greece where 80 percent of the population is employed by the fur trade. In Russia, Canada, USA, Finland, Norway, Poland and Namibia, the fur trade helps to support indigenous and rural communities in remote areas. The IFF is also running campaigns under #FurNow to entice people to feel proud when using fur,” he remarked.
The International Fur Federation (IFF) is an independent and neutral federation of national associations and organizations representing all fur sector interests world-wide.
Sorknaes gave a presentation on the price developments in the fur industry, focusing on Swakara.
“There has been a decrease in the prices in fur from September 2013, due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict; conflict with Chinese customs; saturated market, surplus supply of fur and shift in fashion,” she explained.
She continued: “Swakara is one of the finest furs in the world, and most people are buying the product for fashion. But most buyers are going for high quality, therefore you as producers need to continue focusing on quality.”
At the same event, Dagmar Honsbein, General Manager of Agra ProVision presented the detailed September Swakara auction results and how Agra continues to be a partner to the Swakara industry.
The annual gala dinner was hosted by the Karakul (Swakara) Board of Namibia. At the dinner, the top ten Swakara pelt producers of 2014 were rewarded.
Piet Steenkamp scooped best producer for 2014, walking away with N$5 000 and the second best prize of N$3 000 was awarded to the Rossouw Strauss Trust. The top ten and best producer awards were sponsored by Agra.
Hendrik Duvenhage scooped The Kopenhagen Fur and Agra Limited Quality Award. He walked away with a sponsored trip for him and his wife to the next Swakara auction in Kopenhagen on 21 April, 2015.
The Golden Lamb was awarded by the Karakul (Swakara) Board of Namibia to the Swakara Breeder’s Society of Namibia and Johan van der Merwe. Anke Erasmus of Agra Stud Services, Gina van Rooyen–Nel, ex Administrative and Technical Officer at Upington Karakul Research Station, and Esther van Zyl, Agra Keetmanshoop Livestock Administration Officer were awarded charters by the Karakul (Swakara) Board of Namibia. The Golden Lamb is awarded to outstanding institutions and/or personalities with the dedication and mutual interest of the Swakara industry at heart. The award is presented annually since 1979.
That was followed by an elite ram auction at Canyon Hotel. Danie Visser Trust paid the highest price of N$60 000 for the white Swakara ram (from Dirk J Louw) at the auction; and the highest price for the black Swakara ram (from Karsten Boerdery) of N$40 000 was paid by Jan Wasserfall.