Islamabad, Oct 28 (INP): A top-notch modern slaughterhouse for donkey meat and hide was inaugurated in Gwadar North Free Zone by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh during unveiling of the Agriculture Industrial Park in Gwadar Free Zone. The construction of the slaughterhouse, with a cost of $50 million, followed an agreement signed between Pakistan and China on quarantine conditions for the export of donkey meat to China. As per the agreement, Pakistan will export to China 216,000 donkeys’ hides and meat annually, Gwadar Pro reported on Monday. In July, during a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce, the Secretary of Commerce noted that there is no ban on exporting donkeys, and Pakistan has already initiated donkey farming.

The Ministry for Maritime Affairs official told Gwadar Pro that donkeys being reared at many farm houses in various part of Punjab will be slaughtered at the Gwadar North Free Zone slaughterhouse.  “Their meat and skin will be further processed keeping in view international standards and later be exported to China,” he added. As per the fresh data, the population of donkeys in Pakistan has jumped to 5.9 million during the fiscal year 2023-24.  The latest figures showed that the donkey population has been increasing steadily during the past few years as there were 5.5 million of them in 2019-2020, 5.6 million in 2020-21, 5.7 million in 2021-22, and 5.8 million in 2022-23.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China