Ningxia dairy producer breaks global records

Members of the "A Date with China" 2022 international media tour examine yogurt products at Ningxia Yili Dairy Co Ltd in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region on June 26, 2022. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Wuzhong, a city irrigated by the Yellow River in the hinterlands of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, is rich with resources that have built one of the world"s most productive dairy firms.

As much as 4,700 tons of raw milk are processed on average per day and about 48,000 containers of flavored yogurt are bottled per hour on the automatic production line of Ningxia Yili Dairy Co Ltd.

The company, the only branch of Yili Group in Ningxia, hit a historic annual output of 1 million tons and 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in annual revenue in 2021, making it the first liquid dairy production base to achieve both records simultaneously.

The production line at Ningxia Yili Dairy Co Ltd in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region on June 26, 2022. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

With a total area of 21,400 square kilometers, Wuzhong has established 143 dairy farms citywide with nearly 300,000 livestock providing raw milk to 10 dairy producers across the country, according to Yang Jun, deputy director of the city"s agriculture and rural authority.

The city has integrated other sectors to create a holistically integrated industry, including dairy packaging and cold-chain logistics.

Visitors to the region can see and taste this progress for themselves by taking a tour of the production line.