SWAKARA INDUSTRY FORUM PROVIDES FEEDBACK TO THE PRODUCERS
Published: 29 Sep 2014 

After the successful international auction in Copenhagen on 9 September 2014, the Karakul (Swakara) Board of Namibia organised a Swakara Industry Forum on 23 September 2014, to discuss the developments in the industry.

The forum was officiated by Raimar von Hase, Chairperson of the Karakul (Swakara) Board of Namibia. In his opening remarks, he explained the current situation in the fur industry as he said; “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 cast shadows over the immediate future.” He added, “This was attributed by 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, especially in Europe.” The overall fur price drop also affected Swakara prices, because the Swakara price structure is pegged to that of mink.

The forum 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. Mr 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% 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.” The International Fur Federation (IFF) is an independent and neutral federation of national associations and organizations representing all fur sector interests worldwide.

Ms Sorknaes gave a presentation on the price developments in the fur industry and focusing on Swakara. “There has been a decrease of 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 by saying, “Swakara is one of the finest fur 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.

Later in the evening, the annual gala dinner was hosted by the Karakul (Swakara) Board of Namibia. At the gala dinner, the top ten awards for the best Swakara pelt producers of 2014 were rewarded. Mr 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. Mr 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 respectively. The Golden Lamb is awarded to outstanding institutions and/or personalities with the dedication and mutual interest of the Swakara industry at their heart. The award is presented annually since 1979. 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 respectively. The Charter, introduced this year, symbolises a “thank you” to personalities who make a remarkable contribution to the industry.

On Wednesday morning, 24 September 2014, an elite Ram auction took place at Canyon Hotel. Danie Visser Trust paid the highest price of N$ 60 000 for the white Swakara ram (from Mr 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 Mr Jan Wasserfall.