American Marten Prices Soaring Thanks To China's Fur Demand

10 years ago, Leather and fur Bob Zibar, a dealer, has raised about 34 thousand Mink on a farm in southeastern Wisconsin. At that time, his business was barely able to compete with foreign cheap fur suppliers. Immediately after the recession, the price of marten fell again.

But in the end, zimbaer passed through hard times and prospered. Today, he has built 26 miles of marten farms and a feed factory on the snow covered coast of Michigan lake, and has 54 thousand reproductive martens. His business is no longer a service for wealthy celebrities in New York and Hollywood, and the main market has become China. The demand for high quality fur by the new rich class in China has pushed the price of mink to the highest level in history, keeping the mink breeders from being hit by the economic downturn. "The international market (demand) protects the mink breeders." Zimbaer said, "at the moment, mink is in short supply in the Chinese market, and Chinese consumers are pushing the market forward."

China is now the largest fur producing country and processing country in the world. According to China Leather Industry Association Statistics show that in 2010, Chinese consumers bought more than half of the world's fur. Although the total consumption of China's fur retail industry has not been officially announced in 2012, it is estimated that the figure is expected to reach US $6 billion, according to the China food, animal and meat import and Export Chamber of Commerce.

The report of the US Department of agriculture in 2010 showed that the quality of Chinese native fur was low, resulting in the problems of breeding process, high cost of feed and malnutrition. As a result, Chinese fur producers turned to high quality mink for foreign breeders. Last year alone, China imported nearly 126 million dollars worth of mink from the United States.

although Mink The surge in prices has also attracted the attention of animal protectionists, but so far, the industry has not been affected. "In the global economic downturn in 2009, we can still make profits." Zimbaer said, "this also shows that China's market is profitable, and any industry as long as it goes into the Chinese market is not bad."