PROSPECTIVE CHINESE INVESTMENT IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA
The latest statistics are in: Of all Pakistan's trade partners, China is the one that has invested the highest amount of money in the country, with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) & all the businesses that are springing up in anticipation of it. This is excellent news for the national economy as well as the local investor community, because the Chinese investment model is very clean & simple. A pure commercial transaction that truly is an offer of collaboration & doesn't carry hidden provisos & strings. That's the way it must be if a deal is really a deal.
It renders the recent Chinese offer to invest in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) farming sector even more promising, especially for local landowners & their families. KP has a lot of potential when it comes to the agriculture sector, because most of its citizens are affiliated, one way or another, with breeding animals or growing crops. The Punjab & Sindh Provinces are also quite active in the agriculture sector, but the population of these provinces are divided between the farming & non-farming sectors. Balochistan has a small pastoral farming economy, but it is likely that the ongoing development of Gwadar Port & Airport will persuade the local population to join the construction sector.
Of all the various farming options on offer, the one I found most interesting was the one about donkey farming. According to the local media, the Chinese have offered to help launch this business in KP & buy all the merchandise that it generates. The KP Chief Minister has requested time for consideration & ordered the preparation of a feasibility report. Some time has gone by with no news, perhaps because feasibility reports take time as they have to cover many aspects of the present & the future. In the meantime, let us take an "informal" look at the feasibility of donkey farming in KP.
DONKEYS: MAINTENANCE
While the donkey's digestive system is structurally similar to the horse's, it is more efficient than a horse's. In semi-arid climates, donkeys spend over half the day foraging on poor quality scrub. It consumes less food than a horse of comparable height & weight; approximately 1.5% of body weight per day in dry matter, compared to the 2–2.5% consumption rate required by a horse. Donkeys are also less prone to colic, making medical expenses more manageable, too.
Some experts say that a donkey needs to be fed only straw (preferably barley straw), supplemented with controlled grazing in the summer or hay in the winter; others recommend some grain, particularly to working animals; yet others advise against the inclusion of straw altogether. Donkeys thrive when fed small quantities of food over long periods - 6 to 7 hours of grazing per day on average dry land pasture (that is not stressed by drought) is sufficient to cover their nutritional needs. If they are worked long hours or do not have access to pasture, they require hay or a similar dried forage (with a 1:4 ratio of legumes to grass), salt, mineral supplements & access to clean, fresh water. In lush climates, donkeys are prone to obesity & are at risk of laminitis (a painful inflammatory condition of the tissues or laminae that bond the hoof wall to the pedal or coffin bone hoof).
Donkey hooves are more elastic than horse hooves, & generally take longer to wear down. However, regular clipping is important as neglect can lead to permanent damage. Working donkeys may need to be shod. Donkey shoes are similar to horseshoes, but smaller & without toe-clips.
DONKEYS: ECONOMIC USES
The global donkey population is about 41 million. The top 3 countries in which donkeys are found are (in descending order) China, Pakistan & Ethiopia. The use of donkeys as pack animals, beasts of burden, agricultural labor, transport, pets & mule breeders, has been well documented. What most people (at least in Pakistan) don't know is that donkey products are valuable items in the food & herbal medicine industries.
Donkey Milk
Donkey milk is almost identical to woman’s milk, & contains more lactose & less fat than cow’s milk (making it very nutritious). It was used until the beginning of the 20th Century as a substitute to breast milk. Recent studies have shown that donkey’s milk could serve as an alternative to cow’s milk for children allergic to bovine proteins.
Donkey milk is used in the manufacture of soaps & moisturisers. Hippocrates prescribed donkey milk for numerous purposes, such as liver troubles, infectious diseases, fevers, edema, nose bleeds, poisonings, & wounds. Pliny the Elder proposed it to fight poisonings, fever, fatigue, eye stains, weakened teeth, face wrinkles, ulcerations, asthma & certain gynecological troubles.
Donkey Meat
Donkeys are occasionally raised for meat, but only about 1,000 donkeys were slaughtered in 2010, yielding approximately 100 tons of meat.
Donkey meat is the main ingredient of several Italian dishes, including Donkey Ravioli (ravioli stuffed with donkey meat in butter sauce & parmesan, or agnolotti d’asino), Donkey Salami (salami made from donkey meat, or salami asino) & Donkey Stew (also known as straccotto d’asino, it is a stew made of chunks of donkey meat braised on a very low heat for at least four hours, mixed with onions, bay leaves, juniper berries, tomato sauce, garlic, red wine, olive oil, salt & pepper).
In China, donkey meat is considered a delicacy with some restaurants specializing in such dishes, & Guo Li Zhuang restaurants offer the genitals of donkeys in dishes. A "donkey burger" is a kind of sandwich, which is considered a local speciality in Baoding & Hejian, Hebei Province, China. However, it is popular in other places in China as well. Chopped or shredded donkey meat is placed within a "huoshao" or "shao bing", a roasted, semi-flaky bread pocket, & eaten as a snack or as part of a meal. The meat is often served cold, usually with green pepper or cilantro leaves, in a warm huoshao.
Donkey-Hide Gelatin
Donkey-hide gelatin is gelatin obtained from the skin of the donkey by soaking & stewing. It is used as an ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), where it is called "ejiao". 5 to 10 grams may be dissolved in hot water or wine & mixed with other ingredients in the TCM materia medica or taken alone. It is used for a variety of conditions including bleeding, dizziness, insomnia & a dry cough.
The edible form of ejiao is mixed with almonds & sesame seeds & served as a snack in Shandong. It can also be used as an edible coating for dates, producing another type of snack. Several manufacturers produce an ejiao bar called "Gu Yuan Gao" in Shandong province. Gu Yuan Gao is a bar made up of ejiao, nuts, sesame, Chinese dates & cooking wine.
It is also used for applying "di mo", a special paper-like musical reed membrane, to the "dizi", a transverse Chinese flute; it dries quickly, holds firmly & is water-soluble, allowing later replacement of di mo.
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