Milking parlor (Archive)
Camels
Photo: AP
Dubai camels milked in Israeli dairy farm
Milking parlor for camels in UAE set up by Israeli company and Center for International Cooperation. 'Israel should show interest in order to advance diplomatic interests,' says Center's head
An Israeli-made dairy farm for milking camels was recently inaugurated in the Arab Emirate of Dubai.
The faem, designed by the SAE Afikim company, was set up in the Persian Gulf by the company's English distributor, and includes a 48-stand milking parlor.
"It is similar to a cow dairy farm," said Yossi Shemer, the company's CEO on Thursday.
The farm was built with the help of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Center for International Cooperation.
"The camel milking field has great unrealized potential around the world, and especially in countries where the warm climate makes breeding cattle difficult," said Haim Divon, the center's deputy director-general.
According to Divon, in light of the project's success, the Foreign Ministry plans to advance export of camel dairy farms to other Arab and Muslim countries where camel milk is common.
"The State of Israel should show great interest in deepening foreign aid, not just for the purpose of opening doors for commercial companies, but also in order to advance diplomatic interests," said Divon.
Camel facts
A female camel can produce up to 20 liters of milk per day, while a cow can produce up to 36 liters.In recent years, a number of studies were published showing the nutritional benefits of camel milk, it is rich in components such as vitamin B, vitamin C, iron and calcium.
Camel milk is also used to produce various other goods such as cheese and ice-cream, and a new product – date-flavored camel milk was even developed for last year's holy month of Ramadan in the United Arab Emirates.
