Analysis on the present situation and trend of Donkey Industry in China

China is one of the major donkey-producing countries in the world. The donkey has the advantages of gentle temperament, resistance to rough feeding, saving feed, strong adaptability, strong disease resistance and easy management. In the past, because of its strong physical strength, as a kind of service livestock in the history of rural areas, today, with the rapid development of agricultural mechanization, donkeys are not paid enough attention. The local breed and breeding number of donkeys are gradually decreasing. At present, people are aware of the nutritional value of donkey products, and the demand for donkey meat, donkey skin, donkey milk and donkey fat is also increasing. Now the consumption of donkey products is becoming more and more popular in both domestic and international markets.

I. background of domestic donkey industry

China has a history of raising donkeys for nearly 4000 years and is one of the major donkey-producing countries in the world. After Zhang Qian passed through the Western regions in the Western Han Dynasty, for more than 2000 years, with the introduction of good horses and alfalfa, a large number of donkeys and mules came to the east. In the Tang and Song dynasties, donkeys, as one of the draft animals, have spread all over the Central Plains. Up to modern times, donkeys were distributed almost all over the northern agricultural areas and semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral areas. Donkey raising in China began in the south, gradually came to the east, and gradually developed to the whole country through Gansu and Shaanxi. The main reason for the sustainable development of donkey production in China is the excellent biological characteristics of donkeys and their good adaptability to small-scale peasant economy, in addition to reducing the requisition and deployment of donkeys. The donkey has a small physique, but has a strong physique, has a strong ability to adapt to barren environmental conditions, has a high utilization rate of forage, is not easy to get sick, and is easy to feed, so donkeys save grass than cattle and horses, that is, the so-called "poor donkeys and rich horses." farmers who cannot afford cattle and horses have no choice but to raise donkeys. Donkeys are suitable for riding, carrying and carrying, full of endurance, good at climbing over mountains and taking rugged paths, which is very suitable for service in mountainous areas. These excellent characteristics and uses of donkeys are loved by farmers and are widely propagated and used. Donkeys like dry and warm climate, most of which are distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, Weihe River, Huaihe River, Haihe River Basin, Gansu Hexi Corridor and Qingyang area. After domestication, the donkey gradually adapted to the cold climate of Jilin and Heilongjiang. The provinces in the south of the Yangtze River are low-lying. Hot, humid and rainy, although there are donkeys, but the number is very small. Although there is a lot of rainfall in the southwest mountain area, it is also suitable to raise donkeys in parts of northwest Sichuan and western Yunnan, where the altitude is high and the dry and wet season is obvious. However, there are almost no donkeys in Guizhou Province, which is wet and foggy.

China has a vast territory, a wide distribution of donkeys and rich breed resources. Donkeys can be divided into large, medium and small 3 types, large donkeys are related to medium donkeys and Biyang donkeys, these two kinds of donkeys are higher than 130cm; medium donkeys are Liaoning donkey, Qingyang donkey, Dezhou donkey, height is between 110~130cm; small donkeys are commonly called donkeys, there are * * donkeys, Liangzhou donkeys, mostly in North China, Gansu, * * and other places, and the donkeys in these areas are higher than 85~110cm. The image of the donkey is like a horse, mostly grayish brown, not majestic and majestic, its head is long, its chest is slightly narrow, its limbs are thin and its torso is short, so its height and length are roughly equal and square. It has the advantages of thin neck skin, small and solid hoof, strong physique, resistance to rough feeding, strong resistance, not easy to get sick, gentle temperament, obedience and so on. Donkeys can be used for farming and riding. Cultivate 6-7 hours a day, and cultivated land is 2.5-3 mu. It can also ride to the market in rural areas, which is suitable for piggyback transportation and family service in mountainous areas.

Donkey raising: current situation, Development Prospect and benefit Analysis of Donkey Industry

Second, the present situation of raising donkeys in China

At present, animal husbandry experts have investigated some donkey meat processing enterprises, livestock trading markets, leather material markets, fur markets, donkey gelatin manufacturers and donkey slaughtering farms across the country, and found that donkey resources are declining rapidly. the number of donkey slaughtering households is decreasing year by year, and the competition in the donkey skin market is more fierce. In terms of macro policy, most provinces take cattle and sheep as the leading breeding industry, raising donkeys is not the direction of animal husbandry development, there is no scientific development plan and breed improvement projects, the stock of donkeys shows a downward trend. The reasons for the decrease include many aspects, such as in plain areas, as farmers' income increases year by year, farmers slowly turn donkeys and donkey carts that have been used for generations as animal power and transportation into tractors and tricycles; donkeys already have a long breeding cycle, and butchers, driven by profits, kill local donkeys extinct regardless of age and sex, resulting in a sharp decline in the stock of donkeys. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, at the end of 1983, the number of donkeys in China was 9.449 million, accounting for about 20% of the total number of donkeys in the world. The number of donkeys in Gansu Province is 1.105 million, accounting for 11.69% of the total number of donkeys in the country. Donkey farming in Gansu Province is mainly in Hexi Corridor and Qingyang area.

Donkey has strong adaptability, rough feeding resistance, strong disease resistance, relatively simple feeding technology, low risk and other characteristics, deeply loved by farmers, but also brought considerable economic benefits to farmers. For example, in farmers, one donkey foal is born every year, and it sells for 1100 yuan to 1200 yuan in 5 or 6 months.

There are more than 30 varieties of donkeys in China, of which 6 are related to Zhong Donkey, Dezhou Donkey, Jiami Donkey, Biyang Donkey, Qingyang Donkey and Guangling Donkey. In recent years, with the heating up of donkey industry, the breeding of donkeys is urgently needed, and excellent breeding donkeys are scarce. The price of excellent stud donkeys has risen from 1500000 yuan per head a few years ago to 3000000 yuan per head at present. In remote mountainous, semi-mountainous and hilly areas, the demand for serviced donkeys has increased year by year, and the price has increased from 400 million yuan per head in previous years to 800 million yuan per head, and from 600 million yuan per head to 1200 million yuan per head. Because the price of adult breeder donkey and service donkey is higher, and the direct purchase cost is high, many farmers buy young donkeys to raise them, so that their demand continues to rise, and the price has risen from 200 yuan 300 yuan per head a few years ago to the current 600 million 1500 yuan per head.

In recent years, the commercial development of donkey has been done very little, so that it only has the previous service value, and gradually lost its economic value. Its benefit is relatively low, which affects the breeding enthusiasm of farmers, and then causes its stock to decline gradually. According to statistics, in Wudi County, Shandong Province, the current stock of donkeys in Texas is only 3800, a big drop compared with 27000 in the highest year in history.

III. Nutritional value of donkey products

1. Donkey milk

Scientific research shows that donkey milk is very similar to human milk, accounting for almost 99% of the ingredients in human milk, and is the best substitute for human milk. It is a natural selenium-rich food, and its selenium content is 5.2 times that of milk. Selenium is an indispensable substance for human development and growth, which can stimulate the production of human immunoglobulins and antibodies, eliminate substances harmful to the human body, protect cell membranes and chromosomes, and protect the structure and function of ribose and nucleic acid macromolecules. Human body with selenium deficiency will suffer from arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction and hypertension; selenium has similar physiological activity of regulating glucose metabolism, preventing the formation of peroxide free radicals, blocking the metabolism of cancer cells and inhibiting the division and growth of cancer cells; selenium can participate in the process of human metabolism and has many functions such as improving immunity, increasing protein, prolonging life and so on, so selenium is called "the fire of life".

Donkey milk is rich in "epithelial growth factor" international referred to as EGF,EGF factor has a magical role in repairing nasal tracheal mucosa, and can enhance human resistance and immunity. Medical expert research believes that: patients with bronchitis, pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, drinking donkey milk during treatment has an auxiliary therapeutic effect. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was donkey milk.

As an example of "folk prescription" for the treatment of tuberculosis.

Donkey milk is a kind of natural health care milk, its nutrition and function are inborn, not added later. The cholesterol content in donkey milk is only 1 beat 5 of milk. It belongs to natural low-fat and low-cholesterol organic food, which can provide unprecedented for human beings.

The human diet is the best!

2. Donkey meat

In life, there is a proverb "dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth" to describe the beauty of donkey meat. Donkey meat is delicious and nutritious. It is a typical green and safe meat food with high protein and low fat. Donkey meat is delicate, far from being comparable to beef and mutton, but the quantity on the market is small, so the impact is not as great as beef. Donkey meat has the functions of tonifying qi and deficiency.

It is one of the ideal health foods.

Donkey meat is very rich in nutrition, containing many nutrients that are easy to be absorbed by the human body. Per 100g donkey meat contains 18.6g protein, 0.7g fat, calcium 10mg, phosphorus 144mg, iron 13.6mg. In addition, it also contains carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron and a variety of amino acids needed by the human body. The effective nutrients are no less than cattle, rabbits, dogs and other meat.

The protein content of donkey meat is higher than that of beef and pork, but the fat content is lower than that of beef and pork. It is a typical high-protein and low-fat food. In addition, it also contains animal collagen, bone collagen, calcium, sulfur and other ingredients. It can provide good nutritional supplement for people who are weak and recuperated after illness. Donkey meat has the functions of tonifying qi and blood, benefiting viscera and other functions. it is a good dietary therapy for those with accumulated strain, early recovery of long illness, deficiency of qi and blood, lack of energy and loss of appetite.

3. Donkey skin

Donkey hide gelatin products with special efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine are made from donkey skin as the main raw material, which has a good effect on tonifying blood and qi, and has a special effect on women's beauty and skin care.

4. Donkey bone, donkey blood, donkey fat, etc.

According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, donkey bone soup can "cure thirst for many years (that is, diabetes)." Donkey blood, donkey fat and other by-products also have high medicinal and health care value.

IV. The development potential of the donkey industry

According to the statistics in 2000, the output of donkey meat in China is 182900 tons, accounting for about 3% of the world's donkey meat output. In terms of medicinal value, Dong'e Ejiao Group estimates that 1.3 million donkey skins are needed a year, while our domestic supply of donkey skins is only 400000, so there is a big gap in the market. In the face of such a large market gap, animal husbandry departments and enterprises have realized the potential commercial value of the donkey industry.

The donkey is known as the "straight donkey". The requirement of forage grass is rough and the breeding technology is simple. The straw and weeds of various crops such as corn, soybean and wheat can be used as feed. The fine fodder such as grain is used very little, the feeding cost is low, and the disease is less than that of cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. And the growing period of donkeys is shorter than cattle and horses, about one and a half years. Gestation period

It was longer (12 months), 1 foal, and the fattening period was 6-8 months. The annual forage cost of a donkey is about 150 yuan, and the price of an adult donkey is about 1500 yuan. if you invest and buy a female donkey, after fattening and adding the donkey, the forage cost of the two donkeys is 300yuan, and the donkey can get a profit of 2000 yuan after 1.5 years. In this way, a donkey can earn nearly 1,000 yuan a year, and the cost can be recovered in less than two years, whether for farmers or large-scale farmers. The economic benefits of raising donkeys are considerable. In particular, farmers raising donkeys have unique advantages, almost without considering the cost of labor and forage, and can be used in service at the same time.

According to the results of the experiment, the meat donkey can gain weight 100~150kg after fattening for 3 months. It costs about 1300 and 1500 yuan to buy a donkey with more than 100 kg. After fattening, it can be sold for 2000,2600 yuan, and the profit is 700001100 yuan. During the fattening period, it needs to consume concentrate 100~200Kg, about 100,200 yuan, roughage 500~750Kg, about 100,150 yuan, and other costs about 100 yuan. The net income of fattening a donkey can reach 400-650 yuan, if the local feed resources are rich, it can also save part of the money, fattening and raising meat donkeys of a certain scale, the benefit is very considerable.

For example, the old Liangzhou donkey was fattened with single legume hay for 60 days, and the average daily gain was 247g. The aged donkeys in Guanzhong and Liangzhou were fattened with wheat straw and concentrate for 25 days, the average daily gain was 435g, and the average daily gain for 35 days was 299g. While the Jinnan donkeys, which accounted for 60% of the aged donkeys, were fattened with high quality legume, grass hay and concentrate type diet for 70 days, the average daily gain in the first 30 days was 700g, and the average daily gain in 51 days was 327g, and the average daily gain in the whole 70 days was 574g. According to the investigation and calculation, the feeding cost of meat donkey is obviously lower than that of beef cattle, sheep and dairy cows, which is very suitable for the development of farmers. See Table 1 for details.

Of course, in order to change the tight supply of donkey products, the guidance and drive of leading enterprises play an important role. In addition to making efforts in the donkey breeding base, donkey breeding and breed promotion, but also in view of the current low value of donkey meat, lack of mainstream consumption, no brand characteristics, do something on the sales and development channels of donkey meat to mobilize farmers' breeding enthusiasm. The way to get rich by raising donkeys will become wider and wider.

V. Development prospects

Raising donkey has the advantages of low risk, wide range of feed sources, low input, quick effect and high benefit. All localities should be market-oriented, introduce and cultivate excellent donkey breeds according to their own conditions, and vigorously develop the characteristic industry of raising donkey. to meet the demand for donkey products in domestic and foreign markets and increase farmers' income.

1. Medicinal value

The donkey has a large body, thick donkey skin and high glue production rate, which is the first-class raw material for making traditional Chinese medicine donkey-hide gelatin. Donkey-hide gelatin is not only sold well in China, but also exported to Southeast Asian countries and European and American markets. The production of donkey hide in our country needs about 2 million donkey skins a year, and Dong E E Jiao alone needs 1.5 million donkey skins a year, which has a large market gap.

2. The value of milk

There have been reports of French mothers raising donkeys and Egyptian queens bathing with donkey milk. Donkey milk has high nutritional value, and the tarinic acid contained in donkey milk can nourish, whiten, moisturize the skin and improve the facial environment. A large daily necessities company in France is negotiating with China to use donkey milk as cosmetic raw materials.

The price of finished donkey milk is about 10 yuan / kg, which is even higher in the mainland. the average price of finished donkey milk sold in the mainland is about 3540 yuan / kg. Thus it can be seen that the market of donkey milk is very large and the prospect is optimistic.

3. Meat value

The donkey meat market is in short supply, and the price has gone up year after year. From 1998 to 1999, 10 yuan / kg,2000~ rose to 130.15 yuan / kg,2002~ in 2001 to 160.17 yuan / kg in 2003, and to 200.25 yuan / kg in 2012.

The relevant experts of the China Animal products processing Research Association have calculated an account for the benefits of raising donkeys: introducing a series of new breeding techniques to raise a commercial donkey, deducting the cost of forage, there can be a profit of more than 2500 yuan. According to Luo Xin, a professor at Shandong Agricultural University, donkey meat can increase its commercial value by more than 40% just by grading. The promotion of commercial donkey industrialization will bring broad prospects for common development to farmers, feeding services, meat processing industry and Ejiao production enterprises.

The trend of eating donkey meat has also sprung up in Guangdong, Guangxi, Shaanxi, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong and other places, which shows that there is great potential for the development of raising donkeys. In addition, the donkey's natural tolerance to harsh environmental living conditions is the most prominent of all livestock. Once its living conditions are changed and a more favorable and appropriate fattening method is applied, its feed reward and feeding benefit will be greatly improved. It is a new type of breeding industry worthy of attention and development.

4. Donkey bone and other by-products

Donkey bone and other by-products are auxiliary raw materials for the production of drugs and health products, and the output is less than 40% of the demand. At present, the price has increased by 2 to 3 times compared with previous years.

In addition, with the decrease of the number, due to the rarity of donkey breeds, it can be used for ornamental, riding and other new uses.