COOPERATION IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SECTORS DISCUSSED

Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/ Food, Agriculture and Light Industry Minister B. Batzorig met Charge d’Affaires a.i. the US Embassy to Mongolia Manuel P. Micaller. In the beginning, the Minister expressed his commitment to develop bilateral cooperation in food, agriculture and light industry sectors. He also briefed about present situation of the sector, policies and further goals, in particular impending approval of laws on livestock health and on genepool of livestock. The Minister expressed an interest to develop mutually beneficial cooperation by combining Mongolia’s agricultural raw materials with US technical and technological achievements, experience and financial capability. At the meeting, the sides agreed to expand the cooperation in increasing meat export, attracting investment from the USA and other countries into Mongolia’s agricultural sector and developing cooperation in veterinary field to combat trans-bordery animal infectious disease. Manuel P.Micaller said that the US Embassy is ready to stretch out their helping hands to aimags that suffer dzud natural disaster. Moreover, US government is implementing a project with a financing of US11 million to support meat export, development of herders and animal husbandry as well as increasing jobs in the sector. He also added that the US Embassy is working to allocate USD10 million to be issued by Export-Import Bank of the United States as a loan guarantee, with a purpose to promote cooperation of businesses of the two countries. M.Unurzul