Gobi Cashmere and Erdenet Carpet awarded state prizes

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ On February 23, Gobi Corporation and Erdenet Carpet Company were awarded the “State Gerege” - high state prize for best national developments. The ceremony was held this morning at the State House in Ulaanbaatar. The state prize is awarded every year before the lunar new year celebration “Tsagaan Sar”. Gobi Corpotation, established in 1981 with Japanese investment, is the pioneer of Mongolia’s wool and cashmere processing industry. The Gobi Cashmere Factory is the only one in Mongolia that carries out all of the cashmere processing stages at home. The factory is capable of producing 1,100 tons of raw wool and cashmere, 30 tons of spun yarns and 210 tons combed cashmere per year. In terms of the production capacity and service quality, as well as other performances, Gobi Corporation is one of the world’s top 85 cashmere lines. Last year, Gobi contributed MNT 13.2 billion to the Government Budget. Gobi employs around 1,800 workers and has 53 franchising and one brand store in other countries as of 2016. The first overseas brand store opened last year in Erenhot, China. Gobi envisions to have 80 franchising stores and 21 brand stores around the world by 2021. Erdenet Carpet Co.Ltd. was commissioned in October 1981. The company alone produces 91.3 percent of the country’s carpet production and supplies 75 percent of the national demand. Aside from carpets, the Erdenet Carpet factory has been making felt boots, slippers, mats and construction lining materials. The company operates branch stores in Ulaanbaatar, Darkhan-Uul, Orkhon, Gobi-Altai, Zavkhan, Khuvsgul, Dornod and Khovd provinces of Mongolia and representative offices in Beijing and Shanghai. The Erdenet Carpert products are exported to more than 20 countries, including China, Japan, Turkey and India.