Pakistan plans to export donkeys to China
Pakistan is planning to export donkeys to China under its Donkey Development Programme, in a bid to attract Chinese investors in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Pakistan is also aiming at increasing donkeys' population in its province as the animal is highly valued in China for its hide which is used to manufacture medicines.
Peshawar, Apr 9 (PTI) Pakistan is planning to sell donkeys to China after an investment of Rs 1 billion in its Donkey Development Programme, in a bid to attract Chinese investors in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Steps are being initiated to increase the population of donkeys in the province as the animals are highly valued in China for their hides which are used to manufacture medicines among other things, according to an official document. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa-China Sustainable Donkey Development Programme worth Rs 1 billion (USD 9.5 million) is one of the many investment portfolios prepared by the province to attract Chinese investment in its agriculture sector under the ambitious USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Express Tribune reported. The donkey export proposal would be presented to investors during a two-day road show in China this month, it said. "The proposed project will help improve the socio-economic status of donkey-rearing communities by improving the health and production of local donkeys. "New technologies will be introduced and work will be done on capacity building of donkey breeders and services they provide," the document reads. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government will "develop linkages in order to improve prices of donkeys and enhance the income of breeders and traders," it added. The proposed cost of the project is Rs 1 billion, but the document insisted the scheme will meet "not only its investment cost but also generate a good amount of revenue". 