THE REAL REASON FOR CHINA'S CRACKDOWN ON TIBET: YAK MILK

Now we know why China has such an interest in such an otherwise insignificant place (Tibet):

A pioneering Chinese company is to market pasteurised Tibetan yak milk in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, in the hope that it will become a new superfood in the world's most populous country.

At 24 yuan (£2) for a small 250ml carton, Feifan - meaning 'uncommonly good' - costs several times as much as cow's milk. 'It's very natural, green, pure and high-quality. That's our big selling point - we aim at the high-end market,' said Ding Pengcheng of the Treasure of the Plateau Yak Milk Company. Over the next three years, the firm is to spend millions to crack the domestic and international markets, with the help of state investment. Yaks produce fewer than 300 litres of milk a year, while cows yield 35 times as much. The firm pays Tibetan farmers 16 yuan or more per litre; eight times the price of standard milk.

The animals are central to Tibetan culture: their butter is melted into tea and fuels the lamps that light monasteries. Dung keeps fires burning; bones are carved into beads. Yaks provide Droma and her family with everything they need. 'Female yaks are very important to us: we can get milk, make butter and cheese and get extra money by selling it. For the males, they can be used for transport,' she said. 'We can sell the yak skins and the meat and hair. All the parts can be sold. Then we buy things like grain.'