working with women in Badakhshan on fiber processing. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Transcription

1 From goats to fiber to yarn: working with women in Badakhshan on fiber processing. Liba Brent May May 13 14, 2013 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

2 Dasht village Ishkashim, fall 2009 h d fb ld d f $ /k Sheared goat fiber sold to Kyrgyz traders for $2 4/kg. Women made yarn using spindles or old spinning wheels.

3 Combing Imported combs from Afghanistan in winter 2010 Organized combing, sorting and fiber collection in 9 pilot villages Collected 68 kg of fiber from 119 women in April 2010

4 Fiber Purchasing Fiber purchasing in Ishkashim in Established fiber purchasing system (4 categories/prices) Quality of fiber improved each year Purchased ~300 kg of fiber total Most fiber purchased for $21/kg Group leader and her husband trained to purchase fiber Fiber assessment The fiber is longer and stronger than cashmere (17 23 micron, 3 8 cm) Comes inwhite, brown & beige color Can be easily handspun Cannot be handspun into luxury yarn without dehairing Dehairing cannot be done manually

5 In 2012 expanded fiber purchase to Sezd village, Roshkala valley: center of cashgora goat production. Large flocks (100+), organized dbreeding, good pastures, year long grazing, quality combing In 2013, 60kg of combed fiber was purchased in Sezd in 1 hour

6 Roshkala fiber (Sezd) homogeneous less guard hair Sorting & Processing (in 2012) scouring carding spinning yarn for local processing knitting socks, weaving blankets Ishkashim fiber more guard hair more heterogeneous dehairing in Afghanistan spinning luxury yarn for export knitting luxury products for export

7 What makes the best cashgora goat? Fiber Quality Fineness Length Volume Color Yield & quality after dehairing Uniform fleece Luster

8 Long, uniform, relatively fine down (18 22 micron) + small percentage of coarse guard hair that can be easily dehaired. White color.

9 Scouring Roshkala fiber in Markhamat village, Asht. Training trainers from Badakhshan in fiber processing

10 Carding Roshkala fiber in Carding machine delivered from Asht to Markhamat village AhtM Asht, May 2012 Bdkhh Badakhshan, November 2012 Carding

11 Scoured, carded, undehaired cashgora fiber: includes some guard hair can be used to spin yarn for local processing into socks, blankets

12 Dehairing i (separates cashmere down from coarse hair) dehaired 100kg of Ishkashim fiber in Afghanistan in 2012 factory dehaired fiber is free of guard hair can be processed into luxury yarn for export

13 Spinning Imported d26 spinning machines from Sugd to Badakhshan in 2012 Trained spinners Started yarn production for export in 2012

14 Marketing yarn Spinners sell yarn for $.01167/meter or $5.2 for 100g skein Yarn will be marketed by US companies Knit Outta the Box and Clothroads First yarn will be exported in September 2013 Production price is estimated to be around $100/kg ($50 fiber, $50 spinning) FOB price USA will be around $ C:\Users\user\Desktop\лб\Рисунок28.jpg Yarn photo

15 Contemporary knits (dehaired yarn) Knitting Traditional Pamiri knits, new design (undehaired, dehaired yarn)

16 Cashgora goats Dehairing Capacity to scale up Women s groups Markets Buyers

17 From 1kg of raw fiber women can earn: $21 for selling 1kg fiber; $31.50 for spinning 600g of dehaired fiber; $60 for knitting 14 hats; Total: $ Earning Income Spinners receive ~25 somoni or $5.2 for spinning one 100g/450m skein An average spinner can make skeins and earn $52 $79/month for part time work (25 50% 50% of income of poor families)

18 Future Activities Evaluate fibers after dehairing, identify the most desirable types of fiber(s)/goat(s) Identify goat producers and appropriate breeding systems for Roshkala and Ishkashim Establish fiber collection and dehairing Import more spinning i machines Improve processing infrastructure (dyeing, scouring, workshop) Continue training spinners in producing gyarn according to standard Develop marketing for yarn in collaboration with buyers Develop and test market other types of products from dehaired and non dehaired fiber

19 Thank you!