Xinjiang's Yili sees down trend in fine wool production

16 Oct '13

2 min read

The Yili autonomous prefecture in China’s Xinjiang region is known are fine-wool sheep and it occupies an important position in Xinjiang fine wool production.

From 1970s to early 1990s, fine wool was an important means of income for farmers and herdsmen in Yili. The Yili region accounted for over 60 percent yield of 1.2 million tons of fine wool production in Xinjiang.

But in recent years, Yili fine wool production has declined due to four main reasons, according to analysts.

The first reason is driven by economic interests. In 2012, the buying price of fine wool was in the range of 25 to 28 yuan per kg, while that of mutton was 56 yuan per kg, and sheep herders found that fine wool was not giving very good economic returns.

The second reason is chaos in distribution channels due to non-establishment of new standardized business model.

The third reason is the process of acquisition of wool, where national standards are not properly implemented, and all kinds of wool are mixed in a heap. The fluctuation in wool market prices restricts the progress of implementation of scientific parameters for distinguishing wool.

Finally, net gross valuation has not been truly implemented and substantial economic benefits are obtained by middlemen, and herdsmen lose confidence in sheep rearing.

Analysts suggest that there should be 100 percent on-site sampling while buying wool so as to ensure the quality of wool. They also suggest timely issuance of inspection certificate to ensure timely wool trade.

Extensive publicity is also required to raise awareness about the wool trade, and to make herdsmen fully understand the benefits of quality supervision, standardization, etc, according to experts.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

More Textiles News - China...