Gwadar North Free Zone set to construct donkey slaughterhouse where the meat and hides will undergo processing according to international standards.
A state of the art slaughter house dedicated to donkey meat and hides was recently opened in Gwadar North Free Zone by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh as part of the new Agriculture Industrial Park in Gwadar Free Zone.
This $50 million slaughterhouse was constructed following an agreement between Pakistan and China, which outlined quarantine protocols for exporting donkey meat to China. Under this agreement, Pakistan will annually export 216,000 donkeys’ hides and meat to China.
In a July briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce, the Secretary of Commerce confirmed that there is no restriction on donkey exports and that Pakistan has already started developing donkey farms.
An official from the Ministry for Maritime Affairs stated that donkeys raised on farms in various parts of Punjab will be transported to the Gwadar North Free Zone slaughterhouse. “Their meat and hides will undergo processing according to international standards before being exported to China,” he explained.
Recent data shows that the donkey population in Pakistan reached 5.9 million in the fiscal year 2023-24, reflecting a steady rise from previous years: 5.5 million in 2019-20, 5.6 million in 2020-21, 5.7 million in 2021-22, and 5.8 million in 2022-23.
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