KARACHI: Pakistan’s food ministry has signed an agreement with a Chinese company to establish a donkey slaughterhouse and hide processing facility in southwestern Gwadar city to export the animal’s meat and hides to China, an official confirmed this week, after Islamabad previously exported the meat of swine, another animal prohibited for local consumption, to Afghanistan for American troops stationed there. 

Pakistan is frequently listed as one of the countries with the highest number of donkey populations worldwide, with Islamabad reporting its donkey population had increased to 5.9 million during the fiscal year 2023-24 from 5.5 million in 2019-2020, the Pakistan Economic Survey (PES) 2023-24 said. 

This is not Pakistan’s first venture into exporting animal meat illegal for consumption in the country. In the 2015-16 financial year, Islamabad exported $2.8 million worth of swine meat, primarily to Afghanistan, for the dietary needs of NATO personnel stationed there. As per data from the country’s central bank, Pakistan exported $447,000 worth of swine meat to Afghanistan in the 2016–17 financial year. 

While donkey meat is prohibited in Pakistan, with food authorities in the eastern Punjab province sealing eateries in the past for passing off donkey meat as beef, the animal’s meat and hides are quite popular in China. Gelatin derived from donkey hides is highly sought after in China for its use in Ejiao, a traditional medicinal remedy. Several Chinese eateries sell donkey meat and burgers for consumption. “Fat Wang’s Donkey Burger” in Beijing is a popular restaurant known for its donkey burgers.

“This facility will process donkeys into meat and gelatine for export to China,” Dr. Muhammad Akram, an official of Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research, told Arab News about the slaughterhouse and hide processing facility in Gwadar.

The Donkey Sanctuary, a British charity, reports that approximately 5.9 million donkeys are slaughtered worldwide annually for their hides. Due to a decline in its domestic donkey population, China has increasingly turned to global sources to meet the demands of its Ejiao industry, the Donkey Sanctuary says. In July, Pakistan’s commerce ministry informed a Senate standing committee that protocols for exporting donkey hides and meat to China had been finalized.

Dr. Saif-ur-Rehman, who was part of a team of Pakistani and Chinese researchers who conducted a study in 2020 that concluded donkey meat exhibits “good antioxidant activity,” said Pakistan would have to ensure donkey breeding if it wants to export its meat to China. 

“Pakistan is very fertile for donkey breeding, as it does not face fertility issues encountered by other animals,” Dr. Rehman told Arab News. “Despite the natural growth being good and the population reportedly increasing, slaughtering should be started only after breeding farms are established.”

Dr. Rehman said donkeys were a popular source of medicinal products in China. According to the 2020 study, which was titled: “The Extracting Technology for Antioxidant Oligopeptides from Donkey Meat,” donkey hides are believed to enrich human blood and enhance the production of white blood cells in it, making the animal’s meat useful in adjuvant chemotherapy. 

Donkey meat is said to improve liver and kidney functions, promote blood health, boost immunity and offer anti-aging benefits as well as enhancing eyesight and the performance of lungs, the study further says. 

Dr. Akram said the government will prohibit public purchasing of donkeys until breeding centers are established by the Chinese company in all four Pakistani provinces. This he said was important as Pakistan wanted to sustain the population of donkeys.

“This multimillion-dollar project represents a significant investment, contributing to the broader scope of Chinese investment in Pakistan,” he explained. 

Dr. Akram emphasized that the meat will not enter Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country, where halal dietary guidelines prohibit the consumption of donkey meat.

 “Located in a free zone, the facility with an only exit by air or sea [policy] will ensure that the meat is only exported, preventing any by-products from entering Pakistan,” the food ministry official explained. “A quarantine officer will be present to oversee the export process and ensure compliance.”

Muhammad Zubair Motiwala, chief executive of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), confirmed donkey by-products will be sent abroad.

“They [Chinese company] will take it and use both the skin and the meat,” Motiwala told Arab News. “But it will have significant benefit,” he said, adding that there were animals in Pakistan that could be exported to other countries as they were not consumed locally.