- Title: RUSSIA-REINDEER HERDERS Russian reindeer herders celebrate their way of life
- Date: 5th August 2015
- Summary: LEDKOV GIVING PRESENT TO SMALL BOY
- Embargoed: 20th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA3SUX4O8OK1K3MYQN3BAHIJK11
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Reindeer herders from Russia's northern Nenets district marked their professional holiday with deer race and an open air concert.
Artists travelled long distance to reach herders and their families living in tents and yurts on a grazing land some 200 kilometres (120 miles) northeast of Naryan-Mar, the administrative centre of the region.
The celebration for the staff was organised by a reindeer cooperative "Harp" in order to raise popularity of reindeer herder's profession and attract young men to join the company.
"Young people do not come to work for us for one simple reason - not only because it is far north, they do work in the far north - but because young women do not want to work for us. So, most of our reindeer herders are single. Therefore a young man does not want to be in the far north all the time, he wants warmth, comfort. And who creates comfort? A woman," said Deputy Head Of Harp Reindeer Cooperative, Igor Ledkov.
A Finnish businessman, whose company sells reindeer skin to 150 countries across the world, was a guest of honour at the celebration.
Harry Pokka's company is buying specially prepared, salted in a barrel, reindeer skins from Harp and sells them in Europe, the United States and South America. He hopes to increase the sales and further develop mutually-beneficial cooperation with Harp.
"I hope that in the next few years it will be possible to buy up to 50,000 reindeer skins salted in a barrel from Murmansk region, Nenets district and Komi republic. Then the advantage not only for me but for Russian reindeer herders from these territories will be clear," he said.
"Because at the moment they spend a lot on destruction, on burning (of reindeers skins). And here there are two sides: an economic one and an environmental one. The economic one is simple, here is an example: if he buys 5,000 skins at an average price of 10 euros then the herders get 50,000 euros. If they didn't sell it they would have to spend more money on burning them and it would harm the environment," said Pokka.
The break up of the Soviet Union and the economic crisis that followed hurt the once-developed reindeer breeding industry, which lost markets for its products and lacked investments.
"In the 30 years since the fall of the Soviet Union we have trailed behind despite the fact that before that we were ahead in technology, and everything else, we were 30 years ahead of Finland. And in the 1990s, during the crisis, we moved 30 years behind them. Now we are trying to get back the positions we've lost," said Ledkov.
This year Harp reindeer herders had a good reason to hold a cheerful celebration of their professional holiday - the company is one of the region's leaders in the industry.
Reindeer Day, a professional holiday of reindeer breeding workers, is celebrated annually on August 2 in the region. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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