Pakistan's donkey population increases, why is China happy | Explained

Pakistan's latest economic survey has presented a grim picture with the country missing the growth target for the financial year 2023-24. It manged to achieve just 2.38 per cent GDP growth against the target of 3.5 per cent. However on the bright side, the population of donkeys continued to grow steadily. The Pakistan Economic Survey 2023-24 showed that the donkey population increased by around one lakh, taking the total to 59 lakh.

The data shows that the population of the "beasts of burden" was 5.5 million in 2019-2020, 5.6 million in 2020-21, 5.7 million in 2021-22, and 5.8 million in 2022-23, while it jumped to 5.9 million in 2023-24.

Pakistan has world's third-largest donkey population and is only behind Ethiopia and Sudan. And data from the last five fiscals shows that the population of the beasts of burden has increased steadily, adding around 1 lakh every year.

The donkey boom is great news not just for Pakistan but for China as well. Donkeys may be the last hope for many Pakistanis, especially those living in the countryside. Rearing of animals is the backbone of Pakistan's rural economy, with more than 80 lakh rural families deeply engaged in livestock production.

But how does China benefit from this? Well, this is because Pakistan is planning to export these donkeys to China. While Pakistan aims to earn millions through the sale, it is a boon for China where reportedly millions of donkeys are killed every year to make medicine.

The Chinese use the gelatin in donkey skin to formulate a traditional medicinal remedy called Ejiao. Believed to have health-enhancing and youth-preserving properties, Ejiao has a high demand in China. Problem is that, the donkey population in the country has seen a drastic decline, from 1.1 crore in 1990 to under 20 lakh in 2021. This is where Pakistan has found an opportunity to make money. It is a win-win for the two countries. As Pakistan offloads some of the extra donkeys, this could support the Ejiao industry in China.