China interested in importing dogs and donkeys from Pakistan. The officials have told a parliamentary committee as Pakistan is trying to overcome a major economic crisis.
The Senate Standing Committee meeting on Commerce was held in Islamabad on Monday. The committee held under the chairmanship of Zeeshan Khanzada to get a briefing on imports and exports. Dinesh Kumar a member of the standing committee, said that China has expressed interest in importing donkeys as well as dogs from Pakistan.
Moreover, Senator Abdul Qadir informed the committee that the Chinese ambassador had also talked about exporting meat from Pakistan several times.
One of the members of the committee also suggested that since animals are comparatively cheaper in Afghanistan, Pakistan can import from there and then export the meat to China.
However, the committee was informed by the officials of the commerce ministry that animal import from Afghanistan has been temporarily banned. As there have been reports of lumpy skin disease among animals in the neighboring country.
China’s keen interest in donkeys is because they use the animal’s hide in manufacturing traditional Chinese medicines “eijao“. Also, donkey-hide gelatin that supposedly has medicinal properties, traditionally used to nourish the blood and enhance the immune system.
Pakistan has world’s third largest population of donkeys. Currently, Pakistan has 5.7 million animals. Pakistan has also exported animal to China before.
Last year, the Punjab government set up a donkey farm over 3,000 acres in Okara district in Punjab province. They intended to export donkeys to to earn foreign exchange.
The first of its kind government-owned farm has donkeys of “great breeds” including American, to increase the export to China and other countries. China earlier used to import its stock of donkeys from Niger and Burkina Faso. However, the two countries later banned export of animal.
The Bahadurnagar Farm’s manager Dr. Mansoor Mubeen told, fast changing economic trends are bringing a revolution in rural areas. He hopes that the project would help local breeders to earn a good livelihood.