BAYANTSAGAAN, Mongolia -- In this remote town in the Gobi steppe, a bustling market has sprung up, with sellers offering everything from refrigerators to yurts, the portable homes used by Mongolian nomads. In spring, however, the market hosts a much more lucrative trade -- in raw cashmere, the fine, soft fleece of some kinds of goat.
Up to 40% of the world's cashmere is sourced from Mongolian goats, and this is an important market for brokers such as Arvinzaya Khenz, who buy the sought-after wool from herders. For Arvinzaya, 42, spring means driving around Bayantsagaan in her beige blazer and white Toyota Land Cruiser, prowling for business.
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