Agriculture
From The Report: Mongolia 2015
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Over the past decade or so the agriculture sector – one of Mongolia’s oldest industries – has remained integral to the country’s long-term development strategy. Until just a few years ago the majority of Mongolia’s population was involved in herding or farming in one way or another, and as recently as 2011 more than 30% of the country’s workforce was employed in agriculture. While this figure is expected to decline in the coming years, largely as a result of steadily increasing rural-urban migration, a considerable percentage of the population will likely continue to be involved in agricultural activities – primarily in the livestock segment – for the foreseeable future. Generally speaking, production levels and overall food quality are improving across the sector, and exports are increasing apace. The cashmere segment in particular continues to provide high revenues for many Mongolian companies and individual herders, and opportunities for meat and other animal-product exports bode well for future growth.

This chapter contains an interview with Sh. Gungaadorj, Former Mongolian Prime Minister, and Head, Mongolian Farmers and Flour Producers Association.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Agriculture sector central to Mongolia’s economy and cultural heritage
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Over the past decade or so the agriculture sector – one of Mongolia’s oldest industries – has remained integral to the country’s long-term development strategy, even as mining, telecoms and some other relatively new sectors have grown rapidly. Until just a few years ago the majority of Mongolia’s population was involved in herding or farming in one way or another, and as recently as 2011 more than 30% of the country’s workforce was employed in agriculture, according to World Bank data.…

Interview

Sh. Gungaadorj, Former Mongolian Prime Minister, and Head, Mongolian Farmers and Flour Producers Association
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Interview: Sh. Gungaadorj What can Mongolia do to make more effective use of its sizeable livestock population? SH. GUNGAADORJ: Owing to the long tradition of nomadic lifestyles in Mongolia, livestock has been and continues to be a fundamental source of income for the population. Despite growing challenges such as mass migration to urban areas, Mongolia still maintains an abundant supply of cattle, goats, sheep and horses: more than 60m in 2014 compared to around 25m in 1990. That said, we need…

Analysis

Fortifying supply: Ensuring long-term food security is a national priority
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Over the past five years Mongolia’s food security situation has improved dramatically. Current estimates put the country’s overall food self-sufficiency – a measure of the extent to which the nation can meet domestic demand for food – at 50-60%, which is up considerably on previous years. The steadily improving food security situation since the mid-2000s, in particular, can be attributed in part to a series of programmes put in place by the government and various private entities, including…