• African Donkey hides are a kind of treasure-trove for some Asian countries like China who have been importing the hides from the African countries of Bostwana, Namibia, Kenya, Nigeria and Niger.
    Gelatin, which is a special part of Donkey’s hide, is valued in China. It is used in producing traditional blood tunic known as E’jiao, especially used for cases of blood deficiencies such as bleeding.
    Aside from the medicinal benefits, China uses donkey hides in producing anti-ageing creams and aphrodisiacs
    But the news of Niger banning its export this week will bring about a shortfall in importation of donkey hides in China.
    “If the export countries continue doing so,  the animals will be decimated,” a government official has told BBC Africa
    Niger joined Burkina Faso who banned the export of donkey skins on similar grounds in August despite its economic benefits to donkey sellers in the country.

    Shrinking Population

    China’s shrinking population of Donkeys has brought about the shortage of donkey skin gelatin which is highly prized in China.
    Due to China’s fast industrial growth, machinery has replaced donkeys causing the population of donkeys to drop sharply from 11 million in the 1990s to 6 million coupled with another 300,000 shortfall every year, government statistics say. State wire service puts the current population of donkeys at about 1.8 million.
    About 5,000 tonnes of E’jiao is produced annually in China, according figures from Shandong E’jiao Trade association.
    In order to keep up with the production of the premium E’jiao tonic, 4 million donkey hides are needed annually. This is in sharp contrast with a population of donkey standing at 1.8 million, thus leading to production of fake E'jiao Tonic.
    This led to China’s interest in importing donkeys from African countries to cover up for the gap.
    Economic Boom
    The high demand in the export of donkey to China has been beneficial to livestock sellers in Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
    The BBC’s Baro Arzika in Niamey, Niger’s capital says the trade in donkey hides has become so profitable that livestock sellers are abandoning other animals for the donkey trade.
    A donkey now costs between 100 USD and 145 USD, when it used to cost about 34 USD. In Burkina Faso the price has risen from 4 USD to 50 USD
    Nearly 65,000 skins were exported in the first six months of the year, mostly to China. Exports of the skin rose from 1,000 in the first quarter of 2015 to more than 18,000 in the last quarter, the Burkinabe authorities told BBC Africa.
    In Nigeria, the search for donkey meat took the Chinese to a donkey market known as Jeki in Ezzangbo, Ebonyi state in South East Nigeria.
    Donkey meat is called Jeki in Ebonyi and the market is abysmally low until recently when the Chinese took interest in patronising livestock sellers in Ebonyi state.
    Saminu Haladu a donkey seller in Maigatari International Cattle Market in Jigawa told Nigeria’s Daily Trust newspaper that over 5,000 donkeys are transported to South-Eastern states from the market every week.
    Also, Emeka Emmanuel who is into the donkey meat business told Daily trust that he has accrued a huge profit from buying donkeys worth one million naira ( 3000 USD) and in turnselling it to the Chinese.
    The silent business of exporting donkeys in Africa has helped some donkey sellers economically not just in Nigeria but in Burkina Faso and Niger.
    But the age long practice of using donkeys as means of transportation has made countries like Burkina Faso and Niger to ban the exportation of donkeys saying it is “exploitative” and threatening its donkey population respectively.
    They should rather have cashed in on the excessive demand of donkey from China—which is an available market and invest in the livestock industry to boost their economy.

    Indicated Interest

    Nonetheless, South Africa has taken a bold step by mulling over beginning a training programme for livestock farmers in anticipation of exporting donkeys to China's Henan Province. China have also indicated interest in importing 5,000 donkeys from Namibia. 
    Image source: The Donkeys of Samburu by Simon Johnson