Dairy Asia Dialogue-2022: Camel husbandry and milk production

Dedicated to World Milk Day, Dairy Asia, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia, GASL, China Animal Agriculture Association, China Camel Industry Association, ICAR-National Center on Camel in India, Yak & Camel Foundation, “Camelicious”, and Mongolian Bactrian Association jointly organized the Dairy Asia dialogue: Camel milk production on 26^th May 2022.

The joint Dairy Asia dialogue began with welcoming remarks from Mr. T. Jambaltseren, State Secretary of Mongolia’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry, and Dr. Vinod Ahuja, UN FAO Representative. In the online dialogue participated +90 representatives from Mongolia, China, India, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Austria, Germany, France, Kenya, the US, Japan, and Belgium.

Under the moderation of Mr. Batbaatar Bayarmagnai, CEO and Coordinator of the Dairy Asia Secretariat, the event featured a series of presentations:

• Policy for camel husbandry and milk production in Mongolia – Dr. P. Tumenbayar, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia

• The role of camel research in China’s industry and economy – Dr. Surong Hasi, Camel Branch, China Animal Agriculture Association

• Camel husbandry, milk production and research in India – Dr. Artabandhu Sahoo, ICAR-National Research Centre on Camel, India

• Research on camel husbandry – Dr. Pamela Burger, Yak-Camel Foundation and Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Austria

• Camel milk production in the UAE – Dr. Peter Nagy, Camelicious, UAE

The dialogue also included a panel discussion with Sc.D Ts. Batsukh, CEO of the Mongolian Bactrian Association.

The Value and Focus of Camel Production

Camel milk is recognized as a highly nutritious food with significant benefits for public health. In many parts of the world, fresh and fermented camel milk is consumed not only as food but also for its therapeutic properties, and it is used in medicinal and cosmetic products. ( In India, Russia, and Sudan, as a pretreatment for several diseases such as diabetes, tuberculosis, autism, dropsy, asthma, and jaundice) The discussions highlighted both camel milk production and broader husbandry practices. A key point was the effort in some Central Asian countries to increase milk yield by hybridizing Bactrian and dromedary camels. In response, speakers emphasized the importance of protecting the genetic purity of the Bactrian camel.

Outcome of the Dialogue

As a direct result of this meeting, a new initiative was proposed to establish an World Bactrian Camel Association, to be headquartered in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.