Meeting on Mongolia’s Food Security Analyzes Shortcomings

Kh.Battulga, Minister of Industry and Agriculture, opened a meeting which took place on the weekend with local food producers and importers with a statement on Mongolia’s lack of self-sufficiency. “A country with a population of around [almost] 1.4 billion is able to provide sufficient food material for its entire people and even export the leftovers. But I always found it strange that a country like ours, a country with vast land, more than 50 million live stocks and with a population of only around 3 million isn’t able to supply sufficient food material for its own people. This is disgraceful. I have come to meet all of you today to find a way to not be disgraceful.”

He further went on to say, “The assurance and security of food and grocery products is the responsibility of the people gathered in this hall. You were invited here to share your thoughts and opinions on what the state should do in regards to its policy and how it can assist in resolving the issue at hand.”

The heads of the unions of all the branches of the food production industry participated in the meeting in order to discuss and share their views on the government policies relating to their sector and what areas they think should given further support. Union members spoke about urgently needed measures they felt the government should take such on what they deemed as the unsatisfactory implementation of policies from the previous year in the field of agricultural exchange. For instance, the Mongolian Meat Union expressed an urgent need for live stock marketing to be centralized and for the agricultural exchange project to be tried out on at least three soms immediately.

During the meeting, Minister Kh.Battulga admitted that the legal aspects of the project were poorly designed and that its implementation had stopped altogether. He also declared that he approved of supporting meat factories by circulating revenue.

Participants of the meeting also reflected on the current policy of storing meat products—utilized so as to provide the capital city residents with sufficient meat. This practice should be further analyzed, according to attendees, who claimed it would be more beneficial if instead of storing meat by preparing only 12 thousand ton, if the state would simply develop better policies to support the meat industry. Opinions were expressed on many other topics, such as the hygienic issues of milk and dairy products and the farmer’s district.

Delegates from the Importers Union, also present at the meeting, stated that Mongolia is not able to meet its present demand for food products without importing. For instance, Mongolian-grown cabbages are plentiful from July 1 to October 15, but during the rest of the year are almost impossible to find leaving no other option but importation. There is only one location in Mongolia where onions are grown in large numbers which also contributes to importing. The Importers Union expressed the opinion that the increase in the food importation tax, which was implemented by the previous government, was “a bad policy” paid for by the people. The main reason given for this opinion was the policy caused a 26 percent tax on imported vegetables which further increased the price for consumers, adding to inflation.

After listening to the opinions and feedback from delegates and members of the unions from the various food producers and importers, Minister Kh.Battulga, “First and foremost, the policies of our food supply security and assurance has to be well formulated. To do this, the government, nongovernmental organizations and unions must be united in their thoughts and action. Our nation is aspiring to produce all 32 types of vegetables and food materials domestically. We will learn from the experiences of other countries and give real assistance to those sectors that need it. For example, the ‘aaruul’ does not loose quality when stored for extended periods of time. Our farmers are producing a very unique and reliable product. When compared to Erenhot and Ulan-Ude, Mongolia’s food security is feeble. For example, the vodka we produce is in the hands of other nations. We have to lose our careless and thoughtless attitude and action.”

The Minister of Industry and Agriculture promised to consider and discuss each and every issue separately. He also promised to research on whether it is possible to extend the duration of the Green Days of Autumn Exhibition, which is one of the few times the capital city residents get a taste of “home grown” food.

Short URL: http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/?p=1285

Share this post