Sustainable Agricultural Development 2018 national forum took place yesterday. Over 700 farmers representing farmers and agrarians from all 21 aimags of the country gathered for the event to discuss facing issues related to the country’s agriculture development. Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and Minister of Agriculture and Light Industry participated in the forum.
In his speech, Prime Minister noted, “To ensure food safety, an important part of the national security, is a prioritized objective, obligation and responsibility of a government. Therefore, the Government of Mongolia set an objective to supply the citizens with healthy and safe food and to become a food exporter by developing agricultural products and food industry, meeting the intensifying demand of the two neighbors. In order to achieve this objective, agriculture development and farmers' involvement are very important.”
He emphasized that the forum is taking place in a critical time of turnaround, implementing new optimal policy and bringing a resolute change in the agricultural sector. In addition, he expressed his confidence towards farmers’ hardwork and efforts in implementing government policy on agricultural sector development, and carrying out intensive actions.
In 2019, Mongolia will celebrate the 60th anniversary of cultivation of virgin lands and development of agriculture as an independent sector.
In the first 30 years of this six decades, the sector had been developed based on science and had significant achievements, allowing the country to become an exporter of crops. However, no research, no integrated policy were conducted since then and soil degradation increased up to 60-70 percent. Also, volume and quality of harvest have became unstable. Study shows that two tons of fertile soil per hectare are degraded annually. There is a risk of losing resources worth approximately MNT 2-3 billion as estimated by global market price.
“Sustainable agriculture development depends on many factors,” highlighted the Prime Minister. “Specially, it directly depends on natural disasters and weather conditions, as well as difficulties in operating profitable eco-farming business as frequency of early extreme coldness, drought, extreme heating caused by climate changes is increasing in recent years,” Mr. Khurelsukh stressed out.
Therefore, in the priority of the policy on science-led agricultural industry development, the government will follow a policy to integrate and intensify sectorial scientific organizations and institutions in coordination with the policy of the related ministry and create sustainable farming industry pillared on agronomic science and research and ecological green agribusinesses.
“In the framework of this policy, the Government will pay special attention to train skilled workforce and to introduce fruitful technology and smart equipment to boost productivity in the sector. Currently, the government granted a total of MNT7.8 billion incentives to companies for suppliying the flour producers with crops from their 2017 harvest and allocated MNT 7 billion for a discount on 31.5 thousand tons of seed crops to be granted by the Farming Support Fund for the 2018 crop cultivation. Simultaniously with the forum, the Vegetable Program and Fruit programs were launched yesterday.
Tugsbilig.B
Sustainable Agricultural Development 2018 national forum took place yesterday. Over 700 farmers representing farmers and agrarians from all 21 aimags of the country gathered for the event to discuss facing issues related to the country’s agriculture development. Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and Minister of Agriculture and Light Industry participated in the forum.
In his speech, Prime Minister noted, “To ensure food safety, an important part of the national security, is a prioritized objective, obligation and responsibility of a government. Therefore, the Government of Mongolia set an objective to supply the citizens with healthy and safe food and to become a food exporter by developing agricultural products and food industry, meeting the intensifying demand of the two neighbors. In order to achieve this objective, agriculture development and farmers' involvement are very important.”
He emphasized that the forum is taking place in a critical time of turnaround, implementing new optimal policy and bringing a resolute change in the agricultural sector. In addition, he expressed his confidence towards farmers’ hardwork and efforts in implementing government policy on agricultural sector development, and carrying out intensive actions.
In 2019, Mongolia will celebrate the 60th anniversary of cultivation of virgin lands and development of agriculture as an independent sector.
In the first 30 years of this six decades, the sector had been developed based on science and had significant achievements, allowing the country to become an exporter of crops. However, no research, no integrated policy were conducted since then and soil degradation increased up to 60-70 percent. Also, volume and quality of harvest have became unstable. Study shows that two tons of fertile soil per hectare are degraded annually. There is a risk of losing resources worth approximately MNT 2-3 billion as estimated by global market price.
“Sustainable agriculture development depends on many factors,” highlighted the Prime Minister. “Specially, it directly depends on natural disasters and weather conditions, as well as difficulties in operating profitable eco-farming business as frequency of early extreme coldness, drought, extreme heating caused by climate changes is increasing in recent years,” Mr. Khurelsukh stressed out.
Therefore, in the priority of the policy on science-led agricultural industry development, the government will follow a policy to integrate and intensify sectorial scientific organizations and institutions in coordination with the policy of the related ministry and create sustainable farming industry pillared on agronomic science and research and ecological green agribusinesses.
“In the framework of this policy, the Government will pay special attention to train skilled workforce and to introduce fruitful technology and smart equipment to boost productivity in the sector. Currently, the government granted a total of MNT7.8 billion incentives to companies for suppliying the flour producers with crops from their 2017 harvest and allocated MNT 7 billion for a discount on 31.5 thousand tons of seed crops to be granted by the Farming Support Fund for the 2018 crop cultivation. Simultaniously with the forum, the Vegetable Program and Fruit programs were launched yesterday.
Tugsbilig.B