- The president of Na’s body wonders why Pakistan cannot export living donkeys.
- High -quality donkeys suggested to maintain the population.
- MNF officials say more donkey slaughterhouses probably in the country.
Islamabad: officials of the Ministry of Food Security and National Research (MNFS) confirmed Thursday that a newly established slaughterhouse in Gwadar began production to meet the demand for donkey meat, bone bone And skins in China to make the traditional product, E-Jiao.
The Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Food Security, chaired by the chairman of the Rana Muhammad Hayat committee, convened, during which officials revealed that China had signed an agreement with Pakistan for the purchase Donkey carcass parts.
A Chinese company began its operations in Gwadar, marking an important step in this unconventional export sector, was informed of the committee.
When Hayat asked why Pakistan did not export living donkeys instead, those responsible explained that the logistics of living animals exporting was difficult and less viable than exporting their by-products.
MNF officials have also revealed that requests for the creation of donkey slaughterhouses in other parts of the country also flock, while negotiations were underway with other Chinese companies seeking to invest in trade.
While the discussion continued, the chairman of the committee stressed that donkeys, once the pillar of small transportation, lost their relevance as a load, resulting in a decrease in their domestic use.
In the same time, Hayat suggested that selective aging of high quality donkeys should always be encouraged to maintain their population – given their potential economic value.
The Pakistan donkey population amounts to around 5.9 million, China being a major market where donkey meat is used in cooking and skins to produce e-jiao, a traditional traditional gelatin .
Previously, exports were limited due to delays in the finalization of the necessary protocols, which have now been completed.
Citing animal protection groups and veterinary experts, Reuters in a report published last year, said that the Chinese demand for E-Jiao feeds the massacre of millions of donkeys each year.
What is E-Jiao and why the Chinese elites love it?
E-JIAO, which is made using collagen extracted from donkey skins, is a vital ingredient for food and beauty products that many Chinese consumers enrich blood, improve the immune system and prevent diseases.
Being a luxury product, E-Jiao took its favor of the elites during the Qing dynasty which ruled China from 1644 to 1912. Disposed in 2011. The increase in demand was also fueled by the growing middle class of the China and the increase in the elderly.
According to Chinese state media.
E-jiao industry needs 5.9 million donkeys per year
The E-Jiao industry requires approximately 5.9 million donkey skins per year, which has exerted unprecedented pressure on world populations, according to a report published in February by the donkey sanctuary, a charity of charity British dedicated to the well-being of the animal.
E-Jiao has a 3,000-year history in the northern Shandong province, according to the Daily China newspaper supported by the government. The province represents approximately 90% of the production of Chinese Jiao, he said.
It is considered a “national cultural heritage” and is one of the most important products in the traditional Chinese medicine industry, according to Chinese media.
Four companies dominate the JIAO sector, according to Johnston’s China-Africa report, Dong-Ee-Jiao representing around 60% of total production, the FU brand controlling 15% of the market and Taiji and Tongrentang Ejiao controlling 10% each of each of 10% each by 10% each% of 10%.
What happened to donkeys of China?
The Chinese donkey population fell by more than 80% to just under 2 million compared to 11 million in 1992, which prompted its E-Jiao industry to obtain donkey skins abroad.
In recent years, China has started to turn to countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan to obtain a donkey skin. Most donkey skins shipped from Pakistan to China are part of an infiltration trade, said Muhammad in Kaveseh, director of the Research Institute in South Asia of the Australian National University.
For example, in 2022 in Karachi, an expedition was seized carrying nearly 10 metric tonnes of donkey skins to Hong Kong. The shipment was initially declared as bearing salt and handkerchiefs, said Kauveh.
Unlike pigs and cows, however, donkeys are very slow to reproduce, say animal experts. Women, known as Jennies, are pregnant for about 11 to 4.5 months, then generally give birth to a single foal.
The establishment of an agricultural system capable of providing the 5.9 million complete skins required annually to manufacture an e-Jiao could take more than two decades, said the donkey sanctuary.
– with an additional reuters input