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Ivory banned | Ivory shop cuts prices urgently to clear the goods port still has 47 tons of old shop owners lament that the scenery is no longer

2021-12-23T00:13:26.520Z


The ivory trade with more than one hundred years of history is about to come to an end for more than a week. The remaining sporadic ivory shops in Sheung Wan "worry" one after another.


The ivory trade with more than one hundred years of history is about to come to an end. The remaining sporadic ivory shops in Sheung Wan "worry" one after another, posting big-character posters of "Ivory reduction" and "I want money but no goods", but the "dead line" is coming. The ivory on the front handle is all sold.


There are many ivory stocks left in old stores, and chopsticks have been the best-selling in recent months. The proprietor feels that the ivory industry has long lost its beauty and cannot be fully absorbed by the local narrow market. ) It's better to appreciate it by yourself, and it's not without food."


Banned ivory series:

Banned sale of ivory | Huan Tuan worry merchants sell new ivory as antique ivory to urge the government to recover the stock for destruction

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Recently, the order of ivory chopsticks has increased sharply. Since 1990, the industry has begun to shrink

Ivory shops have closed one after another. The "Hengchang Ivory", which has been in business for 75 years in Queen's Road, Sheung Wan, will bid farewell to the neighbourhood on December 30 according to the deadline set by the Fisheries and Conservation Department's letter.

The Liangs have been busy in recent days, and orders for ivory chopsticks have increased sharply. In the past, only one or two pairs were sold each time, but it will soon become a "prohibited item." If a customer orders 10 pairs or 20 pairs.

However, no one cares about the large ivory decorations. Despite the exquisite carvings, Mr. Leung, the owner, understands the locality of Hong Kong.

He didn’t plan to sell at a low price. He felt helpless when he read the government letter. .

"Hengchang Ivory" was passed down to the third generation, and the signboard was written by the famous calligrapher Ou Jiangong, who had experienced the most prosperous era in the ivory industry.

Back then, ivory was available for export. Although it was not as good as a major trade in raw material trading, it was still able to survive by doing business with foreign customers. However, the ivory trade ban came into effect in 1990 and the market narrowed to the local area. Ivory carving artisans have switched industries and business has fallen sharply. .

Speaking of the coming time for the sale of African ivory, Liang Tai was very exhausted and criticized the Fisheries and Conservation Department for being unkind, and only hoped that one could be sold.

The old ivory factory turned to sell sparrows

There is also a small shop that once opened an ivory factory. The merchandise is no longer the main ivory, and it is stored in the dust cabinet. On the contrary, the store is occupied by a variety of sparrow peripheral products.

The boss, Mr. He, has no expectations for the dental business. The "Buddha" bulk cargoes said bluntly, "Before they were all exported. After being banned, there would be no way out. There may not be people buying them in flat sales, but they are dispensable."

He recalled that when a factory was set up for production, workers made up to several hundred yuan a day. Compared with office work with a monthly salary of less than 1,000 yuan, it was a good income. However, after the ban on trade, the ivory industry declined. Coldly said, "There is no way to lose it, and it is useless to learn from the family."

16.6 metric tons of ivory sold during five-year grace period

The "Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora" stipulates that international trade in African ivory has been banned since 1990. At that time, the industry reported about 670 metric tons of ivory inventory; by the end of 2016, the guild passed a trilogy of trade bans and phased out local ivory trade. The sale of antique ivory was completely banned on December 31 this year, and antique ivory remained unaffected. At that time, 75.2 metric tons of ivory remained in stock.

Fishery and Conservation hopes that through this five-year grace period, the industry will transform and process the inventory on hand, and it has stated that it will not compensate.

However, local ivory sales are weak. As of November this year, there is still 47.1 metric tons of inventory left, that is, only 16.6 metric tons of ivory have been sold in the past five years.

The smuggling of ivory is still active in recent years. In 2017, there were 64 cases and a total of 7,300 kilograms of ivory and ivory products were seized.

Fisheries and Conservation Department: The industry has ample time to deal with and transform

The AFCD replied that only a few ivory craftsmen are still engaged in the ivory industry. According to an earlier questionnaire survey, several ivory craftsmen hope to receive re-employment training. They have been referred to the Employees Retraining Board and will continue to assist craftsmen affected by the trade ban. Reemployment.

The Department has also tried its best to cooperate with the sales arrangements of ivory dealers. For example, the ivory dealers flexibly handle the extension of the validity period of the ivory possession permit through the auction house or other exhibition venues from the auction and exhibition period to December 30 this year. It believes that the industry should have Ample time to process the ivory in its possession and to transform its business.

The spokesman also pointed out that the local illegal ivory trade will be cracked down through market inspections, monitoring of online trading platforms, intelligence collection and analysis, and offenders can be fined up to 10 million yuan and imprisoned for ten years. The related items will also be confiscated. .

Eliminate the illegal trade of endangered species in the local ivory trade. From May 1st, a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment will be imposed. The Legislative Council passes the amendment to strengthen the ban on ivory trade. In January next year, a hearing will be held for concealing ivory products in luggage with rhino horns on waist and legs. 3 African female customers cannot escape customs law [Endangered species smuggling] The weight of the largest ivory smuggling in customs inspection in August is far more than the total amount of three years. Chinese private journalists risked their deaths to expose ivory smuggling Ivory products targeted by the Chinese citizens say no [Ivory sales ban] The DAB has not reached a consensus or quasi-exemption from voting with the party on compensating ivory dealers [Ivory sales ban] The government has stated that it will not compensate ivory dealers and criticize the authorities for banning the sale of unmanned ivory [Ivory sales ban 】African forest ranger personally recounted the nightmare when he saw Hong Kong ivory chopsticks and recalled that his fellow robe was "hunted"

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2021-12-23

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