OREANDA-NEWS  In 2024, the price of natural fur clothing in Russia is expected to rise by 10-15%, according to the President of the Russian Fur Union, Sergey Stolbov. This is due to a global shortage of raw materials, which manufacturers fear.

Stolbov said that he believes the price increase will be at least 10-15%. He explained that this is justified by the significant costs of raw materials at auctions and the indirect costs of production due to inflation. He also noted that the prices of items from previous collections may remain the same, but there will be an increase for new collections, with the growth being higher than the long-term average.

The President explained that furs have risen in price at auctions because they will go into production during the pre-season purchase and be sold next season, starting in September.At the international exhibition "Soft Gold of Russia", held in Pyatigorsk, Stolbov stated that in Russia in 2023, average prices of fur products in dollar terms had decreased by 16% compared to 2022, while in ruble terms there was an increase of 6.4%.

Taking into account the costs involved at all stages of production, from farming, fishing, to sewing finished products, prices had not reached a level that ensured good profits and decent salaries for employees. Stolbov emphasized that natural fur should not be cheap, as it is an elite product with a significant amount of skilled manual labor involved. Therefore, employees who contribute to the production process deserve a decent salary, and this will likely lead to fewer problems with staff turnover.