Thread: Possum fur prices 2020 ?

Expected I suppose - but another kick in the teeth for a lot of outdoorsie guys and gals

Hi All
It has been some time since we last posted to this page (8 months in fact) and for the most part it has been pretty much business as usual . Fur prices had been high ,demand steady, Skin prices firm .Tourists were being tourists and spending their money on possum products . this all gave us a lot of optimism that the summer season of 2020 was going to business as usual . Then along came Covid 19 (corona virus) ,and how things have changed . Most of your questions have been are we buying fur and skins .Up until the lock down yes , now ,no. You will have been aware of the price to hunters easing over the last few months . this was in response to demand for finished garments being severely affected as tourist customers simply were not there , and those that were not spending . This has flowed back down the supply chain to wholesalers and yarn producers ,and ultimately to hunters . this situation is not going to change anytime soon .Even when the lock down is over and some sense of normality returns , our industry will look very different. In the short term our borders will be closed to overseas visitors ,don't expect to see any overseas tourists here for the rest of this year . this will have huge implications for our industry and many others. Looking further out ,who knows,this is uncharted waters .One thing I am sure about is that when this is over all business in NZ will be changed ,ours will be no different . What this will look like who knows but we have done our best to ensure that when this crisis eases we will still be here ready to pick up where we left off.
Before the lock down we had signaled that the price was reducing down to $105/kg , this will still be the case when the lock down is over and we are allowed to trade again . However don't assume that as soon as the lock down is eased that we will be buying fur , this will depend on customer demand . We will however be looking for skins before we need fur. for those that have supplied us in the past keep in touch with your agent and they will let you know when you can bring them in . Prices will remain the same as last year for darks but not for grays ,again your local agent will have this info ,give them a call.
We are anticipating that there will be very little activity until June/July ,slowly picking up from there on in . This is just crystal ball gazing on our part ,there are so many unknowns ,but our industry has been strong and resilient over the years.This is not the first time it has had significant challenges and it wont be the last, it is however the most significant we have ever faced
On a wider note this is the first time my generation (i am 65 ) our children's and our grand children have every had to face a challenge on this scale . How we play our part in the coming months will define who we are as a people and as a society,did we rise to the challenge or did we fail I hope for all of us that it is the former.
Kia kaha
Kia atawhai
Kia whai whakaaro me te atawhai ki etahi atu

Be strong
Be kind
Be mindful of and kind to others

The team at Basically Bush