Camel milk industry thrives in Xinjiang

Fuhai county in Altay prefecture of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has been vigorously developing the camel milk industry a pillar of rural vitalization.

The county has around 23,000 camels, of which about 5,300 have given milk this year.

Recently an event was held by Xinjiang Wangyuan Biotechnology Group, a company that manufactures dairy products from camel milk, at which farmers and herders reviewed the development of Xinjiang's thriving camel milk industry and were encouraged to help each other benefit.

Some herders also shared stories about how they accumulated wealth by raising camels.

Omarbak Musurhan, a 35-year-old villager in Fuhai county, owns more than 330 camels and has earned an annual income of 1 million yuan ($156,900) in each of the past two years.

Musurhan started selling camel milk to Wangyuan in 2015 at 20 yuan per kilogram. Because of its quality, the company paid 80,000 yuan. Confident in the future of the business, he is expanding his herd. Last year, he sold 50 metric tons of camel milk.

"I've bought three cars and an apartment of 140 square meters," he said.

Wangyuan is capable of processing more than 16 tons of camel milk per day. It has launched a project to enable livestock producers like Musurhan, who have collaborated with the company, to apply for interest-free loans.