Saudi Arabia plans world’s biggest camel milk plant

Cairo: A Saudi official has disclosed that his country plans to launch a project for setting up the world’s biggest plant for camel milk.

“We have entered a partnership with a major company to establish the biggest factory for camel milk in the world,” said Fahd bin Hithlin, the head of the Saudi Camel Club.

“If Allah wills, we’ll start with milk and after a study, there could be other products,” he told Rotana Khalijia TV.

There are around 1.8 million camels with a market value of over SR50 billion in Saudi Arabia, he added citing official figures. "We hope to raise the value of SR70 billion and even more," he said.

"Our ambition is to turn camels into a global industry and that the advanced countries will invest in camels as they did in the Arabian horses," Bin Hithlin said. "We seek to hold festivals in Europe and America and attract the world's wealthiest people to camels."

Camels are a popular animal closely linked to heritage in Saudi Arabia. The animal has long been dubbed as the “ship of the desert”, being the lifeline for desert dwellers.

The kingdom annually hosts the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, the world’s such biggest pageant.