Pakistan begins exports of donkey by-products to China

Pakistan has commenced the export of donkey meat, bones, and hides to China following the operational launch of a slaughterhouse in Gwadar. 

Officials from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Food Security that a Chinese company had started processing donkey carcasses in Gwadar under a bilateral agreement. 

The development comes as China’s demand for these by-products increases for the production of e-jiao, a traditional medicine used in hematic anaemic therapy.

The committee was informed that finalised export protocols had facilitated the trade, overcoming past delays.

Committee chairman Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan inquired why Pakistan was not exporting live donkeys instead. Officials explained that logistical challenges made the export of live animals less viable than processed by-products. 

Pakistan’s donkey population is estimated at 5.9 million, with China emerging as a key market where donkey meat is used in cuisine and hides are processed for medicinal and industrial purposes.