For the first time in the country’s history, a newly established slaughterhouse in Gwadar has started production to meet the surge in demand for donkey meat, bones, and hides in China for manufacturing the traditional product, e-jiao, confirmed Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) on Thursday.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Food Security, chaired by Committee Chairman Rana Muhammad Hayat, convened, during which officials disclosed that China has inked an accord with Pakistan for the procurement of donkey hides and bones.
A Chinese company has begun operations in Gwadar, marking a significant step in this unconventional export sector, the committee was informed.
When Hayat questioned why Pakistan was not exporting live donkeys instead, officials explained that the logistics of exporting live animals were challenging and less viable than exporting their by-products.
The MNFSR officials further disclosed that requests for setting up donkey slaughterhouses in other parts of the country were also pouring in, while negotiations were underway with other Chinese firms looking to invest in the trade.
As the discussion continued, the committee chairman pointed out that donkeys, once the mainstay of small-load transport, were losing their relevance as beasts of burden, leading to a decline in their domestic use.
In the same breath, Hayat suggested that selective breeding of high-quality donkeys should still be encouraged to maintain their population — given their potential economic value.
Pakistan’s donkey population stands at approximately 5.9 million, with China being a major market where donkey meat is used in cuisine and the hides for producing e-jiao, a traditional medicinal gelatin.
Previously, exports were limited due to delays in finalising the necessary protocols, which have now been completed.
Quoting animal welfare groups and veterinary experts, Reuters in a report published last year, said that China’s demand for e-jiao is fueling the slaughter of millions of donkeys every year.
What is e-jiao and why Chinese elites love it?
E-jiao, which is made using collagen extracted from donkey hides, is a vital ingredient in food and beauty products believed by many Chinese consumers to enrich the blood, improve the immune system, and prevent diseases.
Being a luxury product, e-jiao gained favour among elites during the Qing dynasty that ruled China from 1644 until 1912. Its popularity has surged in recent years due partly to its use in the Chinese television series ‘Empress in the Palace’, which started airing in 2011. The rise in demand has also been fuelled by China’s growing middle class and rising elderly population.
Its price has leapt 30-fold in the past decade from 100 yuan per 500 grams to 2,986 yuan ($420), according to Chinese state media.
E-jiao industry needs 5.9m donkeys annually
The e-jiao industry requires an estimated 5.9 million donkey skins annually, which has put unprecedented pressure on global populations, according to a report released in February by The Donkey Sanctuary, a British charity devoted to the animal’s welfare.
E-jiao has a 3,000-year history in the northern Shandong province, according to the government-backed China Daily newspaper. The province accounts for around 90% of China’s e-jiao production, it 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 state media.
Four companies dominate the e-jiao sector, according to Johnston’s China-Africa report, with Dong-E-E-Jiao accounting for around 60% of total production, the Fu brand controlling 15% of the market and Taiji and Tongrentang Ejiao controlling 10% each.
What happened to China’s donkeys?
China’s donkey population has fallen more than 80% to just under 2 million from 11 million in 1992, prompting its e-jiao industry to source donkey skins from overseas.
In recent years, China has begun looking to countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan to source donkey skin. Most donkey skins shipped from Pakistan to China are part of an undercover trade, said Muhammad A Kavesh, director of the South Asia Research Institute at the Australian National University.
For instance, in 2022 in Karachi, a shipment was seized carrying almost 10 metric tonnes of donkey skins to Hong Kong. The shipment was initially declared as carrying salt and handkerchiefs, Kavesh said.
Unlike pigs and cows, however, donkeys are very slow to reproduce, say animal experts. Females, known as Jennies, are pregnant for around 11-14.5 months and then typically give birth to just a single foal.
Establishing a farming system capable of supplying the full 5.9 million skins required annually to make e-jiao could take more than two decades, said The Donkey Sanctuary.
— With additional input from Reuters
