Chinese business men have approached the Agricultural Hub in Botswana to explore possibilities of exporting donkey meat from the country. The director of Botswana’s Agriculture Hub, Mmadima Nyathi told The Telegraph in an interview that they have been approached by two different companies which have shown interest in importing donkey meat from the country.
“I can confirm that we have been approached by two different companies from China which want to import donkey meat”, she said.
She added that the Chinese companies want the meat for different purposes. While one company said it wants to use donkey meat to manufacture pets feed and medicines, another one indicated that it wants the meat for human consumption as it is a delicacy in China. Although donkey meat is eaten in some parts of Botswana, the domestic animal is generally used for ploughing and as a mode of transportation. Asked how far their negotiations have progressed on the matter, Nyathi said they have since referred the matter to the department of veterinary services to determine if donkey meat from Botswana is compliant with the requirements set by the Chinese government.
However, Nyathi said she would like to see Botswana exporting donkey meat to China as this will help in diversifying the country’s exports, earn the country foreign exchange revenue and help in making sure that Batswana take better care of their donkeys than they are doing currently.
“We all know how we treat donkeys in the country, but I think this is going to change if negotiations to export donkey meat to China are successful,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) is also reported to be trying to sell local beef to China.
