Donkey prices soar in Pakistan due to China’s demand for ejiao

A antheral guides a donkey cart loaded with goods on Hussain Agahi Road successful Multan, Pakistan, May 28, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Abdul Rasheed is successful a hole these days. Tiger, his donkey and the lone root of income, died successful an mishap past week.

Staring astatine the imaginable of dire poverty, Mr. Rasheed is undecided astir buying a caller 1 arsenic donkey prices person soared successful Karachi and different parts of Pakistan. “A donkey present costs arsenic precocious arsenic ₹2,00,000 successful the market, mode excessively precocious than ₹30,000 8 years ago,” Mr. Rasheed said.

Hundreds of mediocre wage earners specified arsenic Mr. Rasheed, who are babelike connected donkeys arsenic their lone root of livelihood, present look a pugnacious contention from high-value buyers from China.

The crushed for this abrupt surge successful donkey prices has been a increasing request from China to root these animals from Pakistan. Reason: China’s multi-billion-dollar ejiao industry.

Ejiao is simply a gelatin utilized successful accepted Chinese medicine, made by stewing and concentrating donkey skin. It is wide utilized successful clinics for its biologic advantages of being anti-fatigue, immunity-improving properties, for tumour suppression, and for its anti-anaemia effect.

For carnal rights advocates, China’s involvement successful sourcing donkeys, peculiarly for their hide, is not new.

Mr. Rasheed said contempt having bully contacts successful Karachi’s Lyari, the largest donkey marketplace successful the country, the cheapest steadfast donkey disposable is for ₹1,55,000. “Where tin I get that benignant of money? And adjacent if I negociate something, I americium not definite whether the carnal volition not dice retired connected maine earlier I person recovered the money,” Mr. Rasheed, whose yearly income is little than ₹4,00,000, said.

Donkeys are an integral portion of galore industries. Poor wage workers usage their donkeys oregon donkey carts regular to load structural robust and different dense worldly and transport them crossed respective miles each time successful each kinds of terrain. A travel of an hr oregon much earns Samad, different wage worker, a regular income betwixt ₹1,500 and ₹2,000, astir fractional of which is spent connected the donkey’s upkeep.

Published - June 09, 2025 09:17 americium IST