Goats in Afghanistan shed their thick winter undercoat in huge clumps every spring. Historically, farmers have collected this excess fluff to use as kindling for fires to cook and heat their homes. This same hair, however, once it is cleaned, refined, and spun, becomes cashmere. In recent years, Afghan farmers have begun to learn how valuable this undercoat is to buyers in Europe and North America. Some farmers have already started capitalizing on this luxury product, and the drastic increase in earning potential is changing their lives.
One farmer who lives on the outskirts of Herat has already created trade agreements with various international purchasers who come directly to his farm to choose the best product. What these traders do not buy, the farmer takes to market to sell. A single goat generally yields just less than eight ounces of cashmere. With 120 goats, he can easily earn $1,100 in cashmere alone each season, an amount significantly more than the annual national average income of $700.
At present, farmers collect cashmere from less than 40 percent of the 7 million goats living in Afghanistan, meaning that annual income from the commodity could spike in the near future as more farmers learn about its value. About 95 percent of the animals in Afghanistan could produce quality cashmere. Despite its potential for growth, Afghanistan remains the third-largest producer of cashmere in the world with $30 million in sales annually. However, this figure represents only 7 percent of the global market, which is significantly less than the market segment held by China (70 percent) and Mongolia (15 percent).
The Afghan government recently conceived of a “cashmere action plan” to increase the country’s cashmere foothold by appealing to high-end luxury markets, which sell designer sweaters for as much as $1,000 Each. This plan, however, requires investors, and many individuals remain wary of a country still recovering from nearly four decades of conflict. Still, cashmere has the potential to become a self-sustaining industry in Afghanistan that will create jobs, from farm to factory, for men and women alike.