Strange animal 'tastes better than dragon meat', costs only 500,000 VND/kg but farmers don't want to raise it

What is so special about this animal that its meat is so praised?

Why is the meat of this animal sold at a high price?

The Chinese have a saying , "Donkey meat on earth is better than dragon meat in the sky," which means that donkey meat is extremely delicious . In this country, donkey meat is considered a delicacy and can be prepared in many different dishes. Some restaurants in China serve donkey meat. The most popular dish is donkey meat dumplings with cabbage and vegetables. In some places, such as Henan province, donkey meat noodles are famous for their specialty. Even in Beijing, you can have the chance to try a donkey meat burger.

Donkey meat has many very good effects on human health. (Photo: Sohu).

Not only delicious, donkey meat also has many very good effects on health . The book Nhat Hoa Ban Thao says about donkey meat as follows: " Donkey meat can relieve the heart's troubles, sadness and anger. To cure wind-induced mania, use donkey meat to make wine along with other wine-making ingredients to drink, and it can cure all wind-induced mania. " The meat of this animal has the effect of nourishing blood and qi, which is beneficial for people with insufficient blood and qi.

In modern medicine, donkey meat provides a large amount of protein and amino acids but is low in fat and cholesterol. Donkey meat provides a source of calcium, phosphorus, iron, and carbohydrates necessary for the body. Donkey meat is also rich in animal gelatin, suitable as a nourishing dish for the elderly, children, and people who have just recovered from illness.

Donkey meat and skin are not cheap, but many people refuse to raise them for economic purposes. (Photo: Sohu).

In China, donkey meat and skin are still sold like other animals. A kilogram of donkey meat sells for 140 yuan (nearly 500,000 VND), while donkey skin can sell for about 50 yuan (about 170,000 VND). So the price of donkey meat and skin is neither cheap nor expensive, but in the countryside, people do not raise these animals for meat. Why is that?

3 reasons why many people do not want to raise donkeys

According to Chinese farmers, there are three reasons why they do not choose to raise donkeys on a large scale for economic purposes.

Not much demand

According to Sina,  although many people praise donkey meat, the demand for this type of meat is not high. Because for people, they are willing to choose pork and beef or poultry which have better prices. Thus, farmers who want to raise many donkeys for business do not have much output.

A whole donkey, including meat and skin, can fetch more than 30 million VND. (Photo: Sohu)

Currently, donkey meat is mainly sold in high-end restaurants, hotels and some other places, but this is not a large market. Moreover, the low and uncertain output does not guarantee farmers to risk spending large amounts of capital to invest in donkey farming.

High cost of raising livestock

Although donkey meat is affordable, raising them is quite expensive. The longer a donkey's growth cycle, the higher the feed cost and the less profit the farmer gets. A breeding donkey costs around 3,000 – 4,000 yuan (about 10 million to more than 13 million VND).

Donkey meat is expensive, but raising this animal is quite expensive. (Photo: Sohu).

It takes about a year for a donkey to grow up. The cost of food is about 2,000 yuan (nearly 6.8 million VND), plus the cost of vaccination is 500 yuan (nearly 1.7 million VND). Thus, the capital to raise an adult donkey will cost the farmer about 5,000 - 6,000 yuan (from 17 million to more than 20 million VND). After deducting all expenses, the profit is only about 2,000 - 3,000 yuan (about 6.8 million to more than 10 million VND). Through this, it can be seen that the amount of profit that farmers can earn is not too much, therefore, they will not choose donkeys as livestock for meat to sell.

Long reproductive cycle

According to Chinese zoologists, the reproductive cycle of donkeys is quite long. It takes a female donkey more than a year (348 to 377 days) to give birth to a donkey foal. After that, the foals need another year and a half to mature. Compared to other animals such as chickens and pigs, the reproductive cycle of donkeys is much longer.

Donkeys have a long reproductive period, so many farmers do not choose them to raise for meat. (Photo: Sohu)

For farmers, choosing species with short reproductive cycles and quick capital recovery is the top priority. Although donkey farming is profitable, farmers have to wait a long time to recover their capital and the profit is not significant. Therefore, farmers think that donkey farming does not meet their requirements, so of course, it is rare for them to choose this animal for economic purposes.