A Kurdish trader has picked up the business, saying there is high demand in Turkey and Europe for ox testicles used as raw material for cosmetics. They are also used to feed cats and dogs.
Jaafar Fatah is a Kurdish trader from Duhok. He used to export animal skins and fur – now he’s in the ox testicles business.
“There is high demand for ox testicles. In the last six months of 2017, I exported 35 tons of these genitals, and 15 tons since the beginning of this year,” he explained.
“There is demand for ox testicles in most European and Asian countries. We have customers even in India. But we export them to Turkey because it is closer. There are some factories in Turkey that turn them into women’s cosmetics and dog food.”
Fatah said he learned about the ox testicles market after taking part in a food exhibition in Istanbul. He now gathers the testicles from butcher shops in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq and stores them for export in 10-ton shipments.
The work isn’t easy. It takes a long time to collect 10 tons of ox testicles. The supply needs to be kept in a freezer until exported and transported in refrigerated vehicles.
Fatah sells one ton for $3,000.
“Ox testicles were being dumped in the Kurdistan Region in the past. Some people even feel ashamed to sell them. That is why we get some of this supply for free and buy the rest in butcher shops,” he said.
Fatah also exports animal skin to Poland, Italy, Turkey, and Egypt. He ships fur to the UK and India, and intestines to Lebanon.
Jamal Shukri, an official at KRG agriculture ministry, said this kind of trade is new to the Kurdistan Region. “Some traders have applied for a license to export them. These animal organs are not used for industry purposes in Kurdistan, which is why we have given traders license to export them.”
Yunis Ahmed, a specialist in mating, told Rudaw: “Ox organs are used to make soup in China. According to research, they also strengthen sexual ability – like Viagra tablets. That is why there are special restaurants selling these organs in China and India. They are also sold in pharmacies in dried form to treat weak sexual ability.”
“They are also dried and crushed into powder in some African countries, mixed with cooking oil, and then used as a cream to treat weak sexual ability,” he added.
