Camels have made a comeback, reckoning in the Gujarat milk industry as a practical option.
Camels have been reintroduced as a viable alternative in the Gujarat milk sector. Nagji Rabari (25), a native of Kanmer village in Rapar taluka, was enticed by the fresh “asset label” to invest in a fleet of 40 camels in the previous two years, which he purchased from Dwarka and Jamnagar districts as well.
That was not the case until five years ago, when camels in the parched terrain proved to be “white elephants” for breeders.
Nagji, the son of a camel breeder who used to drive commercial cars, had sold his family’s cattle five years ago, irritated by the pitiful amount of money camel milk brought in. However, magic happened in the milk, and thanks to a type of ‘new white revolution,’ camel milk, which cost Rs. 50 per litre, began bringing them anything between Rs. 40,000 and 1 lakh per month.
Nagji, like many others, was motivated by low costs to invest in camels once more. In the recent year, several nomad camel breeders have acquired camels from Jamnagar, Patan, and Rajasthan. In the previous year, 170 camels were imported to Kutch, according to a preliminary estimate.
A camel might cost anywhere between Rs. 35,000 and Rs. 50,000, depending on its milking capability. “When my father sold milk to restaurant proprietors, he received a pittance of Rs. 10-15 a litre. However, since Sarhad dairy began bulk purchase, we now receive Rs. 50 per litre, making this a highly profitable career.” Sura Rabari, a resident of Nakhatrana’s Beru village, saw the potential for a high income and bought 40 camels from Patan four months ago. “Only a few of the 40 were sold. Only 100 camels have been imported from other regions of the country to the taluka of Nakhatrana “he stated.
“There are 18 young people who have quit their previous jobs to pursue camel breeding since it is profitable. Even those who had sold their fleet are buying fresh milch camels today “Sahjeevan, a non-profit organisation, camel programme coordinator Mahendra Bhanani. Some, such as Asha Rabrai of Daban village in Nakhatrana, have just sold their cows to get 15 camels.
Hira Rabari, the Sarpanch of Gagan village, who imported 40 camels and sold 15, stated, “We have a cooperative organisation that should allow us low-interest loans to buy camels.”
Meanwhile, India’s first camel breeders’ co-operative association, which had been defunct for a few years, has been resurrected after milk became popular in the region. The union established two milk collecting centres and purchased equipment to inspect the fat content and other quality criteria of the milk it sells to Sarhad dairy. Every day, the dairy buys 3,000 litres of milk for Rs. 51 per litre.