Before 2015, camels were highly valued in Rajasthan. But when the 2015 Act banned camel slaughter and export, it left pastoralists, who relied on camel herding for their livelihoods, facing severe struggles.

Aakriti Srivastava, a journalism student in Delhi, was assigned to document pastoralists in the Thar desert. In 2017, she moved to Bajju village, Bikaner, 1,200 km from her hometown. There, she witnessed the struggles of these communities firsthand.

Aakriti learned that pastoralists enriched desert soil by moving livestock across vast stretches of land. Camels were also used for drawing water, farming, and transportation, crucial to the local economy.

However, machinery and the ban forced pastoralists to abandon their camels, leading to economic hardship.

In 2022, Aakriti co-founded Bahula Naturals with Romal and Suraj Singh. Their goal was to revive camel herding through camel milk-based products and empower local herders.

The trio is working to establish India’s first net-zero dairy. They collect milk from 4,000 camel, sheep, and cow rearers in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Nagaur districts.

After quality testing, the milk is stored in solar-powered instant milk chillers. These chillers cool milk to four degrees in three minutes, with a 500 litres storage capacity.

“We brought in instant milk chillers because the locations are spread out. By the time, these communities transported milk from one hamlet to another and then to the dairy, the milk would go bad amid extreme temperatures,” explains Aakriti.

The startup produces camel milk ghee, biscuits, feta cheese, and other dairy products. These products are sold to 300 households in Bikaner, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai through a subscription model.

Aakriti informs that the cheese is also being purchased by chefs in cities like Goa, Delhi, and Bengaluru.

She highlights the challenge, saying, “It’s not common for Indians to consume camel milk products. In the first year, most of our time was spent raising awareness about the importance of camel milk products, which are highly nutritious superfoods.”

Between May 2022 and August 2023, the communities were able to collectively generate an annual revenue of Rs 1 crore. Small-scale households now earn up to Rs 12,000/month, a stark contrast to their previous zero income. The price of camels at the Pushkar Mela increased to Rs 35,000, signaling a recovery.

Aakriti is supporting over 2,500 camel herders and helping 45,000 camels thrive, through her business.

Genaram Raika, a camel herder, now earns Rs 48,000/month from his 450 camels. He shares, “As there was little awareness about camel milk, we would be forced to throw it. Today, we are able to fetch good income by selling 40 litres of milk every day

Aakriti chose to stay in the village, despite her parents wanting her to become a doctor. She says, “Through this job, I can now address the very issues within the community that I initially aimed to highlight during my time as a journalism student!”