Alpaca farmers miss out on rich pickings

The 4 million alpacas that graze on the remote slopes of Peru's southeastern Andes wear warm coats of a silky fiber highly sought in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Colored in one of 24 different natural tones, the fiber from this domesticated camelid smaller than a llama is processed after an annual shearing, with each alpaca producing a little more than 3.7 kilograms of fiber each year.

The finest threads are chosen, then washed, dried, cleaned up and converted into yarn. Finally, the yarn is woven into fabric used to make clothing.