Улаанбаатар
Camel Milk Processing Plant to Be Put into Operation in Umnugobi Aimag
Society
Umnugobi, September 11, 2024 /MONTSAME/. The construction of a camel milk processing plant in Umnugobi aimag is over 90 percent complete, and it is planned to be commissioned in October of this year.
In 2023, the Governor’s Office of Umnugobi
aimag, in cooperation with “Solid Partners Group” LLC and the European
Union (EU) funded project "SDG-Aligned Budgeting to Transform Employment
in Mongolia" project implemented by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) established a camel farm in Umnugobi aimag
with joint investments and the construction of a joint camel milk processing
plant is ongoing.
The plant will simplify the processing of milk and dairy products and increase
the milk yield. The initiators aim at introducing the latest technologies and,
creating conditions for running animal farms.
As
part of the realization of the goals, a workshop was held at the camel farm on
September 8, 2024, to present herders with the operation of the camel farm, the
camel milk cluster policy, the camel milk supply chain, and the raw material
supply network.
B.Tsend-Ayush, Executive Director of “Solid Partners Group” LLC said, “Since 2021, “Solid Partners Group” LLC has been implementing a project called “Mongol Camel”, which aims at drying camel milk for export. Within the framework of the project, we initiated the establishment of a camel milk processing plant in Dalanzadgad soum, and a camel farm in Khankhongor soum, Umnugobi aimag. We will focus on meeting export standards for our products further. When we started the project, the establishment of a reliable supply chain for raw materials was the key challenge.”
“In 2021, our company started operating a camel farm teaming up with five herder households from Umnugobi aimag. However, we came to the conclusion that it is impossible to sustainably develop a camel farm using traditional livestock herding practices. Therefore, we cooperated with the UNFAO in 2023 to establish an intensified camel farm with kind funding from the EU.
Moreover, we are collaborating with the Governor’s Office of Umnugobi aimag. Over the course of a year, we trained the camels for milking and increased their milk yield. Generally, a Mongolian female camel produces 800 grams of milk per day, but our farm’s camels initially produced only 400 grams. The milk yield has increased by providing the camels with proper diet. It illustrates that it is possible to increase the milk yield of Mongolian camels. As of now, we have achieved 3 liters of milk yield per camel. We believe that it can reach 4 liters by adjusting the camels’ feed intake and increasing the fodder reserve. Herders are not able to milk camels throughout the four seasons. By adopting intensified farming practices, their income from milking can increase 2-4 times. Therefore, we aim to intensify our efforts to provide herders with training and advice on the farm’s operations. Currently, we have over 450 camels, and we are selling our products in the local market,” noted Mr. Tsend-Ayush.
