"Recently, the dairy products in our store have been in short supply, but fortunately, we prepared stock in advance," said Zhang Huihua, a shop owner at Tonghui Agricultural Market in Midong District, Urumqi, who was busy packaging dairy products for customers. In recent years, specialty dairy products such as fresh milk curds, flavored cheeses, and milk sticks have become increasingly popular in the market.

Xinjiang is located on the "Golden Milk Belt" at 44 degrees north latitude, boasting 860 million mu of high-quality pastures and recognized internationally as an ideal zone for dairy cattle farming. This unique resource endowment has laid a solid foundation for the development of Xinjiang's dairy industry. In recent years, Xinjiang has vigorously promoted standardized large-scale farming, optimized milk source bases, increased raw milk production, and developed innovative products such as camel milk and donkey milk, as well as cheeses and milk curds.

The "Xinjiang Dairy Industry Revitalization Action Plan (2019–2025)" proposes accelerating the cultivation of "Xinjiang brand" dairy products, with markets outside Xinjiang as the primary growth drivers. By February 2025, there were over 33,000 dairy-related enterprises in Xinjiang, including 74 dairy processing companies, forming more than 10 major brands such as Tianrun, Xiyuchun, Xinnong, and Ruiyuan. By 2025, Xinjiang aims to cultivate one dairy cluster with an output value exceeding 5 billion yuan and another exceeding 10 billion yuan, with the total output value of the entire industry chain reaching 30 billion yuan.

Tianrun Dairy has captured the market with popular yogurt products like "Chocolate Crumbled" and "Ice Cream Melted," while camel milk beer and fruit-flavored yogurts have also gained traction. Liu Rang, Chairman of Tianrun Dairy, stated that the company has increased investment in online channels, operating platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, and upgraded its milk source quality through technological advancements. Currently, Tianrun owns 26 pastures in Xinjiang, with a herd size of approximately 70,000 cattle, and a self-sufficient milk source ratio exceeding 90%.

Xiyuchun Dairy has enhanced its daily processing capacity to 700 tons through equipment upgrades, with products sold in over 20 cities including Beijing and Shanghai, capturing more than 45% of Xinjiang's dairy market share. Hu Dingkun, Assistant General Manager of Xiyuchun Dairy, noted that the company invested nearly 13 million yuan last year to upgrade equipment, increasing production capacity by 50%.

Historically constrained by vast distances and high transportation costs, Xinjiang's dairy market was highly localized. Today, multiple brands dominate the market, and specialty products like camel milk and donkey milk are gaining prominence. Kalpin County, with over 2,000 years of camel farming history, has turned camel milk into a pillar industry for rural revitalization, producing over 5,500 tons of camel milk last year and creating jobs for over 1,300 people. Recently, Kalpin County was awarded the title of "China's Ecological Camel City."

Wangyuan Group has launched an intelligent camel milk production upgrade project, building a "5G, unmanned, and sterile" smart factory. The production manager, Yan Kaifu, stated that the daily processing capacity of fresh camel milk will increase to 100 tons, with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons. The company has already received orders worth 150 million yuan.

In Zhang Huihua's store, traditional products like milk sticks and curds have expanded to include innovative items such as burst cheese and fresh cheese. "Some new products were recommended by customers, and shipping is convenient," she said. Best-sellers like "fresh yogurt curds" have redefined traditional flavors, while innovative products like milk dates, made by stuffing dried fruits into red dates and coating them with milk powder, are particularly popular among young consumers.

Through innovation and differentiated development, Xinjiang's dairy products are transitioning from local markets to national prominence, becoming a vital force in rural revitalization and industrial upgrading. If you're interested in the baking industry, don’t miss the upcoming Baking Exhibition, where you can explore more about dairy applications in baked goods!

Bakery China 2025 will continue to share more industry professional content with you, so please stay tuned!

Bakery China, organized by China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co., Ltd. was launched since 1997. Bakery China is the Asia Pacific‘s leading event serving the entire value chain for the bakery and confectionery market. The event presents all range of ingredient, equipment, packaging and services, and enables global leading professionals and buyer delegates to meet and share the latest innovations and thinking on manufacturing & distribution, R&D, applications and related services for bakery industry.

The 27th Bakery China would be held on May 19-22, 2025 at National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), Shanghai, covering 330,000 sqm show space. Over 2,200 exhibitors and 400,000 visits are expected.

Source：ynetnews