Donkey Hide Still On Export Prohibition List –NAQS
The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has clarified that Donkey Hide remains on the Export Prohibition List, stressing that the resumption of the certification of that commodity for export hinges on the rebound of the Nigerian donkey herd which is still classified as an endangered species.
The Director General of the agency, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, made the clarification while reading to a news report that erroneously suggested that NAQS had resumed the certification of Donkey Skin for export.
A statement signed by the Head of Media, Communication and Strategies, and released in Abuja, pointed out that the Agency met with all the relevant associations in September last year to chart a course toward restocking the donkeys through breeding and ranching in order to put the animals beyond the threat of extinction.
Dr. Isegbe added that the government would consider delisting Donkey Hide from the contraband category only after the scale has tilted in favour of the recovery of the Nigerian donkeys.
The decline of the donkey population in Nigeria was driven by surging demand for Donkey Hide in Asia. The product is used in making potions and items presumed to have therapeutic and cosmetic value.
