Products

Wool

Karakul wool is a by-product of the Karakul pelt industry and constitutes some three to four present of the total income from pelts and wool.

Karakul sheep have to be shorn every six to eight months in order to prevent them from sticking to bushes and because of the heat during the summer months. Karakul wool is coarse and coloured and classed as carpet wool for trade purposes. Various natural colours exists namely white, black, various shades of grey and various shades of brown. The bulk of the wool is dark grey and black which are exported (raw/ unsorted) to South Africa. The lighter colours and lighter shades are sold to the local weavers in Namibia where good quality carpets are being manufactured with natural coloured and dyed coloured karakul wool.


Pelt

Namibia produces approximately 120,000 pelts per annum. These are sold under the name SWAKARA at Kopenhagen Fur in Denmark, twice a year. AGRA Cooperative manages a pelt sorting centre in Windhoek and is responsible for the collecting, sorting and marketing of the pelts.


Meat

The karakul sheep is classed as a fat-tailed breed and not a primarily mutton producer. The inherent potential of the breed to produce mutton can however be exploited through optimal management practices.

During optimal grazing conditions lambs will be raised for mutton production while during drought years pelts will be produced. This characteristic of the breed makes it very desirable to farm in the arid and semi-arid areas of Namibia.