Qinghai developing sustainable agriculture industries

Qinghai province is developing eco-friendly agriculture and husbandry industries, turning its ecological resources into industrial strengths and helping herders raise incomes through sectors such as yak breeding, dairy production and meat processing.

According to local authorities, the province has 318 green and organic agriculture and animal husbandry enterprises with a combined output value of nearly 16.23 billion yuan ($2.39 billion) per annum.

In Zhidoi county, Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture, situated at more than 4,000 meters above sea level, yaks graze across lush mountain pastures.

For local herder Sonam Dorje, the landscape sustains his livelihood.

A member of a local ecological animal husbandry cooperative, Sonam Dorje keeps 282 yaks, including 52 milk-producing cows. After milking them early each morning with his wife, he delivers the milk to the Yushu Yak Milk Development Co in the county seat.

At a purchase price of 13 yuan per liter, he earns about 500 yuan from yak milk per day.

"After each household delivers its milk, we test the fat content and check whether it has spoiled," said Sangjo Dajie, the company's legal representative. "Qualified milk is purchased at 13 yuan per liter."

Milk is collected daily between 7 am and 11 am before being processed into yogurt, butter, milk tea and other products, mainly according to orders. The company can process about 2.5 metric tons of milk each day.

In recent years, the company has seen steady growth in production and sales volumes.

It has signed milk supply agreements with six townships, 20 village-level cooperatives, 100 family ranches and 50 joint household operations in Zhidoi county, while establishing milk collection stations across the area.

The arrangement has helped 3,765 herding households increase their incomes, Sangjo Dajie said.

Yak meat is another pillar of Yushu's plateau economy. The prefecture has nearly 1.6 million yaks, most of them raised in the Sanjiangyuan region at altitudes above 4,200 meters.

At the Yushu comprehensive industrial logistics park, local authorities are extending the yak industry chain from breeding and slaughtering to processing, cold-chain transportation and market sales.

Samten Lanzho, director of the park's management committee, said yak raising once involved high costs and generated limited cash returns. Today, government support includes breeding subsidies, free vaccinations, winter feed assistance, insurance and slaughter subsidies.

"The goal is to help herders raise better yaks, sell them at better prices and benefit more from the value chain," he said.

According to Samten Lanzho, a yak sold or slaughtered through traditional channels may fetch about 5,000 yuan.

If it enters the park's industrial chain for standardized slaughtering, refined cutting, processing and market-oriented sales, its value can increase to between 7,000 and 7,500 yuan, generating about 2,000 yuan more per animal.

He attributed the higher value to refined processing and targeted marketing. Different cuts are tailored to different consumer demands, while older yaks that are less suitable for fresh meat can be processed into cooked products such as braised beef, further increasing their market value.

The park is home to about 33 enterprises engaged in businesses including beef jerky production, dairy processing, slaughtering and refined meat cutting.

It also distributes 6.42 million yuan in fixed annual dividends to Yushu's 62 administrative villages. Part of the funding is used to ensure that no village collective earns less than 100,000 yuan annually.

Employment has also expanded. The number of jobs in the park rose from about 156 in 2025 to more than 300 this year. Local residents account for about 65 percent of the workforce, with priority given to formerly impoverished households and those under government monitoring. Based on an average monthly wage of 3,000 yuan, the park is expected to generate more than 10 million yuan in annual wage income.

Cold chain logistics is also being strengthened. The park plans to add 13 refrigerated trucks, Samten Lanzho said. Chilled yak meat typically has a shelf life of 14 to 20 days, making transportation efficiency crucial.

A refrigerated truck can travel from Yushu to Shanghai in about two days, allowing yak products to reach store shelves within a three-day period. For larger or more urgent orders, fresh precut products can also be transported by air.

Samten Lanzho said the park aims to build a complete yak industry chain that benefits herders, village collectives, enterprises and the park itself, transforming Yushu's ecological resources into stronger industries and higher incomes.