From Losses To Millions: Gobi Couple Builds Camel Milk Business By Bonding With Camels

A herding couple in northern China's Gobi Desert have turned a loss-making camel farm into a business with annual milk sales exceeding six million yuan, after learning that building trust with their animals was key to milking them. Batu Hugejile and his wife Alima, ethnic Mongolian herders in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, began developing their dairy camel business in 2020 with just 20 female camels. Their herd has since grown to more than 670. Their working day begins at 3 a.m., when hundreds of female camels line up for milking. Alima said sales topped six million yuan last year and were expected to exceed nine million yuan this year. The business initially lost more than one million yuan as the couple invested in wells, shelters, feed storage and equipment while struggling with milking techniques and limited sales channels. They sought advice from older herders and neighbours, and brought in an experienced Kazakh camel herder from Xinjiang to provide on-site guidance. Alima said learning to build a bond with each animal helped overcome their early difficulties. With local policy support and technical assistance, the couple established standardised feeding, milking and milk storage procedures, improving milk quality and expanding sales channels. The farm now employs 12 other herding couples, with each couple earning an average of around 150,000 yuan a year.