World Market
Alpacas are precious and rare merchandise all over the world. They provide a beautiful, top-quality fibre that is in great demand in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Until 20 years ago, alpacas existed in Europe only in zoos. Although there were repeated attempts to import the animals from South America for breeding purposes, the only person who succeeded in importing alpacas to England was Sir Titus Salt around 1850. It is only since 1984 that alpacas have been able to be imported from Chile and since 1991 from Peru.
It still isn't easy to import huacayas and particularly suris. Countries such as Chile and Bolivia have restrictions and quarantine specifications that must be considered, and the import is both expensive and time-consuming.
Yet professional markets have long existed in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Here, high-quality bearing females are worth $15,000 to $25,000. In Europe, however, alpaca breeding has long consisted basically of hobby growers, resulting in slow market development. But this has been changing recently. More and more people are gaining interest in the alpaca market – which is why it is turning into one of the most exiting markets of the future.
In the next 10 to 15 years, the primary goal of the European market will be to breed alpacas with outstanding characteristics; the selling of wool is (still) secondary.
The future of the market, however, lies in the long-term development of the textile industry.