November 16, 2007

China's Inner Mongolia boosts organic dairy production

China's Inner Mongolia is fast becoming an important base for organic dairy products in the country. 

According to Zhou Wenyi, director of Inner Mongolia's Livestock Industry Office, the autonomous region has focused efforts on building up its capacity for organic dairy products through the use of pasture-based feeding programmes.

To emphasize his point, Zhou mentioned that Yunhai Qiulin Livestock Company, an Inner Mongolia-based company, has received certification from China Organic Food Certification Center for its milk products in 2005.

In the first half of 2006, Yili Dairy Group was certified by China's Organic Food Development Center for its use of pasture feeding and the production of organic milk.

Inner Mongolian authorities has also certified Darhan Muminggan Lianheqi, a district under the jurisdiction of Baotou city, as the first organic milk production base in the autonomous region. The nine farms located in the district are home to 3,600 heads of dairy cattle. Combined area of the pasture lands owned by these farms totalled 800 hectares.