Officials from the Ministry of National Food Security & Research have confirmed that two Chinese firms have submitted applications for permits to export donkey meat from Pakistan, representing the initial formal effort to create a legal supply chain from Pakistan to China.

 

 

As per ministry officials, the firms have applied for authorization to operate slaughterhouses and obtain export clearance. These proposals are currently undergoing comprehensive evaluation. If granted permission, the firms would be allowed to process and export donkey meat along with byproducts via Gwadar, which has been designated as the sole location for this trade. Authorities have indicated that any meat processing conducted outside of Gwadar will be strictly forbidden to maintain regulatory oversight and avoid domestic distribution.

 

 

This initiative follows a recent inspection by the Islamabad Food Authority (IFA) at an unlawful donkey meat facility in Tarnol, where officials confiscated roughly 1,000 kilograms of meat and over 50 live donkeys.

 

 

A foreign national found on site was taken into custody, and an FIR has been registered. The seized meat is being destroyed as investigations continue into possible export attempts.

 

 

Officials have expressed concerns regarding unlicensed activities. The ministry has emphasized that only duly authorized operations will be allowed, and any efforts to circumvent regulations will face stringent legal consequences.

 

 

Donkeys are in high demand in China, where their meat is used in cuisine and their hides in the production of e-jiao, a traditional medicinal gelatin. A slaughterhouse in Gwadar began production earlier this year to meet rising demand from China.

 

 

The Donkey Sanctuary, a UK-based animal welfare organization, states that the e-jiao industry requires approximately 5.9 million donkey skins each year. Shandong province in China accounts for nearly 90 percent of the global supply of e-jiao and regards this product as essential to its traditional medicinal practices.

 

 

The donkey population in Pakistan reached 6.047 million in 2024, an increase of more than 109,000 from the previous year, according to a report from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.