"Post-80s" camel breeder Li Bo: From "Desert Boat" to "Industry Boat"

(Struggler · Zheng Qingnian) "Post-80s" camel breeder Li Bo: From "Desert Boat" to "Industry Boat"

　　China News Service, Alxa, September 2nd, title: "Post-80s" camel breeder Li Bo: From "Desert Boat" to "Industry Boat"

　　Author Zhang Linhu Xu Aixiang

　　"From ancient times to the present, the docile, kind, and humiliating camel has been an inseparable part of the production and life of Alxa people. In my heart, the camel is not only the 'business card' of Alxa, but also a spiritual symbol of perseverance."

　　For Li Bo, a camel breeder born in the 1980s in the Alxa League of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the camel brings him not only an increase in income, but also a spiritual incentive.

　　Alxa has more than 5,000 years of camel domestication history.

In the famous rock paintings of Mandela Mountain, the vivid depiction of camels tells the world that Alxa is one of the earliest domestication places for Bactrian camels.

In November 2012, the Camel Branch of China Animal Husbandry Association awarded Alxa League the title of "Hometown of Camels in China".

　　In the early autumn, when the sun sets, in the courtyard of a milk camel breeding professional cooperative in Alxa Zuoqi, Alxa League, a camel with a tall peak seems to be plated with a layer of gold edge by the sun.

With the crisp camel bell, Li Bo approached the fence holding the forage.

Dozens of camels quickly gathered around and put their heads close to their masters.

The picture shows Li Bo when he joined the army.

Photo courtesy of Li Bo

　　Li Bo, a 35-year-old veteran, worked as a corporate manager after retiring from the army, and once served an "iron rice bowl" in a public institution.

In 2013, he resigned from his stable job and started dairy camel farming, embarking on the road of self-employment.

　　Alxa people love camels and have rich experience of raising camels passed down from generation to generation. The desert Gobi in Alxa is vertical and horizontal, the terrain is complex, the climate is harsh, and the special natural environment gives camels the conditions for survival and reproduction.

　　"It is difficult for the people of Boundless Hanhai to rely on the power of camels to valet passenger ships." For thousands of years, the wise people of Alxa have stood above the blue sky, stepped on the black Gobi and the golden desert, and depended on camels for life.

　　However, Li Bo's process of raising milk camels was not smooth sailing.

　　"At the beginning, not only lacked experience, but also lacked funds. At that time, it was really difficult." Recalling the hardships in the early days of starting a business, Li Bo was filled with emotion.

Due to lack of funds, he even bought all kinds of materials for the construction of the camel hoop from the scrap collection station.

　　In order to save money, all kinds of civil works of the breeding base were done by Li Bo and his family.

The picture shows Li Bo milking a camel.

Photo by Xu Aixiang

　　In Li Bo's imagination, raising a milk camel is no different from raising an ordinary camel. As long as you work hard, you will definitely gain something.

However, when he actually raised it, he discovered that it is not an easy task to domesticate an ordinary camel into a camel that can produce milk.

　　"Camels have a certain wild nature, and milking is the hardest thing." When taming a camel, Li Bo was accidentally kicked into his knee by a camel, causing ligament injuries. He could only work with a plastered leg lame for 3 months. .

　　In the early days of his business, Li Bo used manual milking. His arms were peeled from the sun in summer, and his hands were numb from freezing in winter. These are all normal things.

"The camel industry is developing slowly. In the early days, the production of camel milk was low, but the cost was very large." Li Bo pointed to the camel group behind him and said that now their daily food, drink and Lhasa cost more than 3,000 yuan.

　　Although the road to entrepreneurship was full of ups and downs, Li Bo survived by relying on the perseverance developed by the army.

However, after solving the problems of funds, venues and sales, new problems followed.

　　Due to lack of breeding experience, in the second year of the cooperative's establishment, Li Bo's camel herd died of unknown reasons.

"The day before, he was still alive and kicking, and the next day he died without warning. Once he died, there were more than 20 peaks." This was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for Li Bo.

The picture shows Li Bocha looking at the mouth of the camel's teeth.

Photo by Xu Aixiang

　　Li Bo was not discouraged, but chose to study with teachers, go out for inspection, and sum up his experience. Over time, the cooperative gradually improved.

　　However, the sudden outbreak of new crown pneumonia almost brought Li Bo down.

　　"It was a particularly difficult year. Affected by the epidemic, camel milk had no market, so I went to Gansu, Xinjiang and other places to seek cooperation. However, the order that was negotiated with great difficulty could not be shipped, and I lost more than 30 yuan in a year. 10,000." Li Bo said.

　　Li Bo also thought about giving up, "Whenever I stand in front of the camel circle in despair and look at the camels in front of me, their eyes seem to tell me, veteran, no matter how difficult it is, you have to grit your teeth and persevere." Li Bo said .

　　Now, after getting out of the predicament, Li Bo owns more than 400 camels, produces more than 300 kilograms of milk per day, and has an annual turnover of more than 1.5 million yuan.

　　"In the next step, I hope to share the farming experience with the villagers, and join them on the road of farming to become rich. At the same time, I will extend the camel industry chain, so that the camel will change from the 'desert boat' of the past to the 'desert gold' of today, and continue to drive Increase your income and get rich." Li Bo said.

(Finish)