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| Donkey prices in Kenya skyrocket by 225% in six months on strong demand from China Via@KenyanWalStreet |
Demand from China means the
average price of an adult donkey in Kenya has more than trebled since February
this year, reports Baringo News.
China's
dwindling donkey population has drawn buyers to East Africa, according to Uganda's Donkey Sanctuary.
Donkey
meat is considered a delicacy in China.
The
animal's skin is also boiled to produce gelatin, a key ingredient in a
traditional Chinese remedy called ejiao which is used to treat coughs, anaemia
and heavy menstruation and can sell for up to US$388 (£300) per kilo.
Baringo
News, which is based near East Africa's biggest donkey slaughterhouse, reports
that several new abattoirs have been built this year in Kenya to keep pace with
demand.
Other
African countries - including Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Niger, Burkina Faso,
Mali, and Senegal - have banned China from buying their donkey skins because
demand has become unsustainable.
BARINGO
NEWS reports:
The
average price of an adult donkey in Kenya has increased by around 225% since
Feb 2017 from Sh 4,000 to the current price of Sh 13,000 on strong demand from
the Chinese market.
According
to Donkey Sanctuary (NGO), the increased demand for imported donkeys was as a
result of a massive drop in China’s donkey population by more than half over
the last two decades as the country has industrialized and the decimation of
China’s own donkey populations. This made China to turn into Kenya and other
African markets where donkey population is quite high.
In
China, donkey meat is considered a delicacy with some restaurants serving
special donkey dishes. Aside the meat being a delicacy, there are other uses of
the donkey after it is slaughtered.
Donkey
skins are boiled to produce gelatin, a key ingredient in the traditional
Chinese remedy ejiao – which is included in many popular Chinese tonics and is
believed to improve blood circulation and cure coughs, relieve insomnia and
irregular menstruation. Ejiao now goes for US$370 per kilo.
Over
the last year, three firms have set up donkey slaughterhouses in Kenya to cater
for the export market in order to sustain the ever-growing demand for ejiao.
Recently, Goldox Kenya Ltd was established in Chemogoch in Baringo County at a
cost of Sh300 million while another plant was set up in Naivasha.
On 24th of this month, Uganda became the latest African Country to protect its working donkey population by banning the trade in donkey skins in a strongly-worded statement. Some other African countries including Niger, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Tanzania and Senegal have banned China from buying their donkeys, saying demand for the domestic had become unsustainable.
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