Camel dairying: An Indian perspective

An investigation in Rajasthan and adjoining Madhya Pradesh was carried out to assess the present status of production and sale of camel milk in India. The statistics revealed that about 21562 females are in milk at a time, producing about 23 080 thousand litre/annum. The camel milk is providing livelihood to about 3 218 families with average annual income of about Rs 60 000 and sustaining 56 360 camels in its natural habitat. If the above model is adopted, it is expected that at any time about 166 830 females will be in-milk producing about 201 thousand tonnes/year in Rajasthan. The milk collection is expected to increase by about 8-time its present level and the share of camel milk in the total milk produced in the state may reach to 2.5%. This may act as a main criterion for sustenance of camel breeds in the present era of diminishing draught utility.