PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is hoping to attract Rs1 billion Chinese investment under the proposed KP-China Sustainable Donkey Development Programme to enable the province to export donkeys to China.

The programme is likely to be showcased at an investment road show of the KP government to be held in China later this month.

The programme’s details available on provincial government’s recently launched website say the instant initiative is based upon sustainable development of donkeys in KP.

“Donkeys are much neglected group of animals in the province. However, it has a value in China as its skin is used for manufacture of high value medicines. The project is meant to develop and enhance donkey’s population to ensure its regular and interrupted supply for export of live animals and enhance income of donkey breeders and traders in the province.”

The details said the project would help improve socio-economic status of donkey rearing communities through improvement of health and production of local donkeys, enhance donkey’s population in the province through a rigorous breeding programme to meet market demand, develop market linkages for better pricing of animals, ensure enhanced income of farmers, breeders and traders, export donkeys to the government of China, and build the capacity of donkey breeders and service providers.

The investors will prepare the design of animal’s houses, semen production building, office building and residential building for workers, purchase machinery and equipment, buy animals, and provide solar energy, while the provincial government will cater for utilities and provide technical and non-technical employees for the farms.

“The proposed cost of the project is Rs1 billion. Commercially, it has the strength to generate the desired level of revenues and can meet its investment costs,” it said, adding that donkey exports to China will be major source of generation of funds.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2017