Cashmere Marketing is a New Income Source for Central Asian Livestock Farmers

Some indigenous goats in the Central Asian republics of Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan produce good quality cashmere (Millar 1986). International processors have recently been buying this cashmere. (Kerven et al., 2005), but Central Asian producers are not equipped to take full advantage of these new marketing opportunities. The U.S. AID Global Livestock-Collaborative Research Support Program project, Developing Institutions and capacity for sheep and fiber marketing in Central Asia is working to increase the income of small-scale livestock farmers through improved cashmere marketing