AGRA Swakara Services had a successful outing at the Kopenhagen fur pelt auction in Denmark where their total pelt offering was sold out on 6 September 2017.
An average price of N$496,98 was realised for the 39 007 pelts that Agra sent to the auction. In April 2017, an average price of N$500,94 was achieved for a total 52 221 pelts, Agra said in a media statement.
The pelt consignment consisted of 23 518 black, 8 866 white, 2 338 grey, 593 brown, 2 696 spotted and 996 diverse pelts.
The top lot for white Swakara achieved N$3 515,94. This is the highest price ever paid for a top lot white. The top lot for black Swakara achieved N$2 647,30. The buyer of both top lots was LaoPanPicao a fur retailer from Harbin, China.
Kevin Wan, the representative of LaoPanPicao, and Chris Cui, president of Kopenhagen Fur’s Beijing office, were part of a delegation of 13 business leaders from the Chinese fur trade who visited Namibia last year to familiarise themselves with Swakara fur operations in the country.
The group visited the farm of Reinhold Schreiber, accompanied by the Karakul Board chairman, Raimar von Hase, where they were shown how Swakara pelts are produced and prepared for auction in Kopenhagen twice a year.
The average price for black Swakara pelts was N$459,04, and the white pelts achieved N$767,66.
The biggest increase at the auction was 54,51% for spotted pelts, with an average of N$257,40. Diverse pelts sold for N$185,33 compared to an average of N$177,15 in April 2017.
Grey and brown pelts, which are sold only once a year because of low quantities, last sold in September 2016, achieved below average prices, with the grey achieving N$286,78 and the brown N$396,03.
The overall auction attained a total turnover of N$19 385 661,57 with the pelt offer being bought by 23 successful bidders.
The biggest single buyer of Swakara pelts was Hong Kong-based company Europe Fur Co. Ltd, which purchased 32 lots with 6 619 pelts for the Chinese market.
They were followed by Bourtsos from Greece with 5 724 pelts and Fur Eco from Italy with 5 399 pelts.
Agra chief executive officer, Arnold Klein, who also attended the auction, said the Swakara industry once again had a good international pelt auction, amidst a fur market that is experiencing an overproduction of mink skins, and that has not fully recovered from the recent global economic crisis.
Top Namibian producer with 279 pelts at this auction was R H Losper, who achieved an average price of N$802. Top South African producer was W A Knoesen who sold 254 pelts at an average of price of R661,22.
