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Crocodile farmers want a bite at Europe
Industry has plan to produce bigger animals with better quality skins, writes Janine Oelofse
Published: 2012/06/21 07:37:11 AM
SA’s small crocodile farming industry has high hopes of breaking into the lucrative European market by revising its husbandry practices and infrastructure to produce faster-growing, bigger animals that have better quality skins.
It believes this can be achieved by introducing an accreditation system for producers. The industry, which five years ago had no specialised crocodile tanneries, also hopes to increase local production of crocodile leather products within the next five years.
SA has 40 registered crocodile farms, but only about 10 are commercially productive and provide about 15% of classic crocodile skins for the world market, exporting about 55000 skins a year.
Skins from Nile crocodiles, with their boneless underbellies and resultant soft leather, are produced in SA, Zimbabwe, Zambia and a few other African countries.
SA’s biggest export market is currently Asia, where non-branded products are produced. The European market, known for its luxury branded products like Hermes, Gucci, Coco Chanel, Prada and Louis Vuitton, has extremely high standards in terms of skin size and quality requirements, which most South African crocodile skins currently do not meet.
South African Crocodile Farming Association (Sacfa) acting chairman Pit Süssmann said yesterday that the biggest challenge facing the niche industry, which boasts a combined R210m annual turnover in raw and processed skins as well as meat, was not increasing the number of farms but the quality of the skins coming from existing farms.
"International buyers want larger size skins and improved quality, so instead of increasing the number of farms, we are on a drive to improve quality, which is tough going because other countries further north have better climatic conditions," says Mr Süssmann, manager of the Izintaba crocodile farm outside Pretoria.
Crocodiles are extremely sensitive to temperature and only a 3°C variance in their core body temperature can slow their metabolism by half, hampering their ability to absorb food and grow.
Competing against other African countries with warmer climates and shorter winters, South African farmers, located mostly in the country’s northern areas, expend a higher percentage of their costs on heated environments for the animals, pushing up already capital intensive operations.
It can cost up to R25m to set up a farm with 10000 animals capable of producing 3000 good quality skins a year.
Mr Süssmann says Sacfa wants to see farmers consolidate their efforts and resources to ensure better quality skins.
According to Stefan van As, MD of the Le Croc farm and tannery, the European market takes about 80000 to 100000 Nile crocodile skins a year and analysts forecast 7%-8% growth in luxury goods, including crocodile leather goods, in the next three years.
Mr van As says that if SA can make bigger inroads into the European luxury market, which offers between 30% and 50% more for classic skins than Asia and elsewhere, the country’s three crocodile tanneries will become more viable and this could lead to increased local manufacturing.
"We are hoping over time to start looking at manufacturing products. We are talking to the Department of Trade and Industry with a view to involving fashion designers and improving capacity for manufacturers in the industry.
"If all goes according to plan, we hope to establish minimum standards on production and improve quality. If we can sort out our production challenges, and create the volume and standards required, we could in the next five years significantly increase skin exports and the local tanning and luxury leather goods manufacturing capacity in SA," he says.
Given the high cost of production and sometimes volatile international markets, some farmers supplement their income with other farming operations or open their farms to tourists.
However, another marketing avenue that could open up for crocodile farmers in the future is the health industry.
"Crocodile meat is eaten by the Chinese in the belief that it can treat respiratory ailments, but this is not scientifically proven. In SA there’s been little research into the healing properties of crocodile products but we’ve moderated recent research that showed promising, quick healing of skin conditions when using crocodile oil," says Mr Süssmann.
Already some entrepreneurs produce a crocodile oil extracted from crocodile fat to treat skin ailments such as acne, eczema, bed sores, discolouration, athlete’s foot and even nappy rash.
Commercial crocodile farming, which is strictly regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, has helped save dwindling crocodile populations worldwide from being hunted to extinction for their skins. The strict quality demands in the marketplace have rendered skins from wild crocodiles worthless as they do not meet the high standards set by the international skin trade.
Garden Route Media
http://www.businessday.co.za/article...aspx?id=174642
____________________________________________________________ _______
Es ist schon interessant, dass ausgerechnet in Europa, wo Verschuldungs- und Bankenkrisen angeblich weltweit Sorgen bereiten, ein erhebliches Wachstum in der Produktion luxuriöser Lederwaren erwartet wird. Natürlich muss dies nicht ein derartiges Wachstum in der Zahl der Endabnehmer bedeuten, aber irgendwer kauft die Produkte ja. China mit seinem dramatischen Aufschwung ? Gut möglich, denn die dort produzierten Lederwaren stammen zum grössten Teil aus den Häuten von Siamkrokodilen und Hybridkrokodilen, die - einst aus Thailand gekauft - bei Weitem nicht die Qualität haben wie die gefarmten Häute von Leistenkrokodilen und Nilkrokodilen, wobei die Top-Lederwarenproduzenten wie Hermes etc. Leistenkrokodilhäute der Qualitätsstufe AAA bevorzugen. Exporte in die USA sind nicht möglich, weil die Amerikaner ihre Alligatorindustrie rechtlich sehr gut abgesichert haben. Die Bedürfnisse der Top-Lederwarenprozenten und der Top-Gerbereien begründen auch, warum erst vor ganz wenigen Jahren eine der grössten thailändischen Farmen seine Produktion komplett auf top quality- Leistenkrokodile umgestellt hat und tausende von Siamkrokodilen verkaufte. Letztere überschwemmen heute nahezu den asiatischen Markt, zehntausende von Farmbetrieben, von der grossen professionell betriebenen Farm bis hin zu "backyard farms" armer Fischer und Kleinbauern, die sich noch ein Zubrot mit der Aufzucht verdienen wollen, züchten heute Hybriden aus Siamkrokodilen, die weit überwiegend aus in der Vergangenheit eingekreuzten Leistenkrokodilen und Kubakrokodilen entstammen. Solche Farmbetriebe gibt es nicht nur in Thailand, sondern vor allem auch in Vietnam, Kambodscha, Laos, und sie sorgen überwiegend nicht für mehr Wohlstand der Bevölkerung, im Gegenteil.
Ich fürchte, dass die Südafrikaner irren, wenn sie vermuten, dass ihre sehr energieintensiven und entsprechend teuren Zuchtbemühungen sehr viel bringen - denn nur Triple A hilft weiter, und das in entsprechender Zahl. Wie das geht, hat man in Australien und anderen Ländern mit weit günstigeren klimantischen Bedingungen längst gelernt. Und auch andere haben dazugelernt, auch afrikanische Produzenten aus den nördlicher gelegenen Nachbarländern.
Industry has plan to produce bigger animals with better quality skins, writes Janine Oelofse
Published: 2012/06/21 07:37:11 AM
SA’s small crocodile farming industry has high hopes of breaking into the lucrative European market by revising its husbandry practices and infrastructure to produce faster-growing, bigger animals that have better quality skins.
It believes this can be achieved by introducing an accreditation system for producers. The industry, which five years ago had no specialised crocodile tanneries, also hopes to increase local production of crocodile leather products within the next five years.
SA has 40 registered crocodile farms, but only about 10 are commercially productive and provide about 15% of classic crocodile skins for the world market, exporting about 55000 skins a year.
Skins from Nile crocodiles, with their boneless underbellies and resultant soft leather, are produced in SA, Zimbabwe, Zambia and a few other African countries.
SA’s biggest export market is currently Asia, where non-branded products are produced. The European market, known for its luxury branded products like Hermes, Gucci, Coco Chanel, Prada and Louis Vuitton, has extremely high standards in terms of skin size and quality requirements, which most South African crocodile skins currently do not meet.
South African Crocodile Farming Association (Sacfa) acting chairman Pit Süssmann said yesterday that the biggest challenge facing the niche industry, which boasts a combined R210m annual turnover in raw and processed skins as well as meat, was not increasing the number of farms but the quality of the skins coming from existing farms.
"International buyers want larger size skins and improved quality, so instead of increasing the number of farms, we are on a drive to improve quality, which is tough going because other countries further north have better climatic conditions," says Mr Süssmann, manager of the Izintaba crocodile farm outside Pretoria.
Crocodiles are extremely sensitive to temperature and only a 3°C variance in their core body temperature can slow their metabolism by half, hampering their ability to absorb food and grow.
Competing against other African countries with warmer climates and shorter winters, South African farmers, located mostly in the country’s northern areas, expend a higher percentage of their costs on heated environments for the animals, pushing up already capital intensive operations.
It can cost up to R25m to set up a farm with 10000 animals capable of producing 3000 good quality skins a year.
Mr Süssmann says Sacfa wants to see farmers consolidate their efforts and resources to ensure better quality skins.
According to Stefan van As, MD of the Le Croc farm and tannery, the European market takes about 80000 to 100000 Nile crocodile skins a year and analysts forecast 7%-8% growth in luxury goods, including crocodile leather goods, in the next three years.
Mr van As says that if SA can make bigger inroads into the European luxury market, which offers between 30% and 50% more for classic skins than Asia and elsewhere, the country’s three crocodile tanneries will become more viable and this could lead to increased local manufacturing.
"We are hoping over time to start looking at manufacturing products. We are talking to the Department of Trade and Industry with a view to involving fashion designers and improving capacity for manufacturers in the industry.
"If all goes according to plan, we hope to establish minimum standards on production and improve quality. If we can sort out our production challenges, and create the volume and standards required, we could in the next five years significantly increase skin exports and the local tanning and luxury leather goods manufacturing capacity in SA," he says.
Given the high cost of production and sometimes volatile international markets, some farmers supplement their income with other farming operations or open their farms to tourists.
However, another marketing avenue that could open up for crocodile farmers in the future is the health industry.
"Crocodile meat is eaten by the Chinese in the belief that it can treat respiratory ailments, but this is not scientifically proven. In SA there’s been little research into the healing properties of crocodile products but we’ve moderated recent research that showed promising, quick healing of skin conditions when using crocodile oil," says Mr Süssmann.
Already some entrepreneurs produce a crocodile oil extracted from crocodile fat to treat skin ailments such as acne, eczema, bed sores, discolouration, athlete’s foot and even nappy rash.
Commercial crocodile farming, which is strictly regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, has helped save dwindling crocodile populations worldwide from being hunted to extinction for their skins. The strict quality demands in the marketplace have rendered skins from wild crocodiles worthless as they do not meet the high standards set by the international skin trade.
Garden Route Media
http://www.businessday.co.za/article...aspx?id=174642
____________________________________________________________ _______
Es ist schon interessant, dass ausgerechnet in Europa, wo Verschuldungs- und Bankenkrisen angeblich weltweit Sorgen bereiten, ein erhebliches Wachstum in der Produktion luxuriöser Lederwaren erwartet wird. Natürlich muss dies nicht ein derartiges Wachstum in der Zahl der Endabnehmer bedeuten, aber irgendwer kauft die Produkte ja. China mit seinem dramatischen Aufschwung ? Gut möglich, denn die dort produzierten Lederwaren stammen zum grössten Teil aus den Häuten von Siamkrokodilen und Hybridkrokodilen, die - einst aus Thailand gekauft - bei Weitem nicht die Qualität haben wie die gefarmten Häute von Leistenkrokodilen und Nilkrokodilen, wobei die Top-Lederwarenproduzenten wie Hermes etc. Leistenkrokodilhäute der Qualitätsstufe AAA bevorzugen. Exporte in die USA sind nicht möglich, weil die Amerikaner ihre Alligatorindustrie rechtlich sehr gut abgesichert haben. Die Bedürfnisse der Top-Lederwarenprozenten und der Top-Gerbereien begründen auch, warum erst vor ganz wenigen Jahren eine der grössten thailändischen Farmen seine Produktion komplett auf top quality- Leistenkrokodile umgestellt hat und tausende von Siamkrokodilen verkaufte. Letztere überschwemmen heute nahezu den asiatischen Markt, zehntausende von Farmbetrieben, von der grossen professionell betriebenen Farm bis hin zu "backyard farms" armer Fischer und Kleinbauern, die sich noch ein Zubrot mit der Aufzucht verdienen wollen, züchten heute Hybriden aus Siamkrokodilen, die weit überwiegend aus in der Vergangenheit eingekreuzten Leistenkrokodilen und Kubakrokodilen entstammen. Solche Farmbetriebe gibt es nicht nur in Thailand, sondern vor allem auch in Vietnam, Kambodscha, Laos, und sie sorgen überwiegend nicht für mehr Wohlstand der Bevölkerung, im Gegenteil.
Ich fürchte, dass die Südafrikaner irren, wenn sie vermuten, dass ihre sehr energieintensiven und entsprechend teuren Zuchtbemühungen sehr viel bringen - denn nur Triple A hilft weiter, und das in entsprechender Zahl. Wie das geht, hat man in Australien und anderen Ländern mit weit günstigeren klimantischen Bedingungen längst gelernt. Und auch andere haben dazugelernt, auch afrikanische Produzenten aus den nördlicher gelegenen Nachbarländern.
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