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The next interview is with Labor Hero of Mongolia and CEO of Arvin Khur Firm Ch.Chadraabal. Greater than a decade in the past, he launched zero-tillage know-how at his firm and since, he has been growing irrigated and sensible farming in Mongolia.
What do you suppose are probably the most urgent points within the Mongolian agricultural sector?
Our nation has carried out many initiatives and applications to develop agriculture. It’s essential to spend the state price range correctly. The precedence on this sector is human sources. Irrespective of how laborious we attempt to work, we is not going to develop this sector if we don’t practice our human sources. In the present day, as an illustration, the mining economic system is worthwhile and employees on this sector are paid properly. Subsequently, proficient younger specialists need to and are working in this sector. They’re much less focused on doing agricultural work. Clearly, they don’t need to work on this “inefficient” sector with low wages.
It’s needed to arrange successors. Your son studied agronomy in Canada for six years. How ought to human sources for this sector be educated?
The backwardness of Mongolia’s agricultural sector is because of the truth that we can’t change our outdated mindset. The nation’s agricultural sector may be very massive. Nonetheless, virtually 90 p.c of docs and professors on the Mongolian State College of Life Sciences, who practice personnel on this vital subject, are graduates of the socialist period. It’s uncertain whether or not they’re educating college students trendy strategies and applied sciences. That’s why we have to practice our younger folks overseas. It prices 400,000 USD to 50,000 USD to coach one particular person. It will value 500 million USD to coach 100 folks.
Mongolia’s agricultural sector is poor and unable to coach its folks. So it must be accomplished in another way. The Mongolian Nationwide Crop Farmers Affiliation has just lately been organizing high quality coaching. Lectures are given by extremely educated professionals who graduated in Australia, the US and Canada. Solely those that care about their very own enterprise needs to be educated. In any other case, it’s ineffective to retrain individuals who studied just for the sake of a diploma. Furthermore, personal corporations must use an e-agriculture.
How a lot did your organization harvest final 12 months? There have been many complaints from farmers that they may not promote their wheat as a consequence of imported grain.
Final 12 months, Mongolia invested in Russian agriculture, not in Mongolian agriculture. About 300,000 tons of wheat was imported from Russia for 1.5 million MNT per ton. Underneath such circumstances, Mongolian agriculture is not going to develop. In the present day, there are greater than 100,000 tons of unsold wheat within the out of doors threshing flooring of agricultural corporations. Specifically, our firm has 8,000 tons of wheat within the subject. Final 12 months, the federal government pursued a coverage of “destroying” Mongolian farmers. A one-year tender mortgage with an curiosity fee of three p.c was supplied to farmers. Farmers should not capable of repay their loans as a result of they’re not capable of promote their wheat. Consequently, the mortgage grace interval will expire and the curiosity will rise to 24 p.c. I feel there shall be virtually nobody to plant crops this spring.
The federal government mentioned that the standard of home wheat was poor. Did your organization harvest high quality crop?
It is a mistake made by the federal government itself. They imported wheat so that they shouldn’t say home wheat is unhealthy. The laborious work of farmers shouldn’t be left uncompensated.
If we export flour, the federal government shall be capable of purchase wheat that farmers aren’t promoting, proper?
China is not going to purchase flour made with Russian wheat. They don’t seem to be silly. If the nation desires to purchase flour, they may purchase it instantly from Russia. They’re giving permission to greater than 10 factories in Mongolia simply to purchase ecologically contemporary merchandise grown on our soil.
Normally, there isn’t any historical past of a rustic the place the federal government does enterprise. Nonetheless, if non-governmental organizations, skilled associations or public organizations take over this work, will probably be extra organized and managed.
Your organization has launched high-yield, sensible farming know-how. Are you able to inform us about this know-how?
We function in Zuunburen soum of Selenge Province. About 80 to 90 centners of wheat are harvested from one hectare of irrigated land. Our firm has reached world requirements. The typical yield per hectare of non-irrigated land is 30 to 32 centners. It is a report in Mongolia. That is the good thing about the brand new know-how. Some corporations should not capable of get 30 centners per hectare even with irrigation. Fashionable know-how is being used everywhere in the world. We’ve launched a know-how utilized in Canada, the USA and the Netherlands to Mongolia. I didn’t invent it. Introducing know-how, working laborious and producing outcomes is labor. We additionally do all the things digitally these days. With the satellite tv for pc, we will monitor all the things from vegetation to the soil to pastures. I view that these adjustments will open up alternatives to totally use 750,000 hectares of Mongolian agricultural land with fewer personnel. In different phrases, the event of sensible agriculture is the key to the event of our business. As well as to Mongolian farmers, the very best specialists in different fields are working laborious to assist us on this space. They work in all areas, together with soil evaluation, meteorology, engineering and know-how.
Are new sensible farming applied sciences costly? Will it value some huge cash to localize?
One machine we use prices 300,000 to 500,000 USD. Not solely us however different agricultural corporations use such costly gear of their farmland. Nonetheless, there are circumstances when folks break costly gear as a result of they don’t have any data of contemporary know-how. Mongolians can’t handle it properly. For instance, if a mix harvester breaks down in Uvs Province, two professionals drag their computer systems from Ulaanbaatar to repair it. After diagnosing the harm, they return to Ulaanbaatar to purchase spare components. It takes a number of work to restore it, so it requires some huge cash and manpower. It’s actually tough when it comes to personnel. Furthermore, irrigated agriculture requires a massive sum of cash. For instance, it would value 10 million to twenty million USD to irrigate 1,000 hectares of land.
All this needs to be facilitated by the event of sensible agriculture. Notably, in Zuunburen soum, our machines work within the fields, whereas in Ulaanbaatar, IT engineers from know-how corporations corresponding to MCM and Insada diagnose them.
Is Mongolia able to develop sensible applied sciences within the agricultural sector?
There’s a scarcity of human sources, gear and spare components, the value of all the things is rising and the challenges are growing. The strategy to overcome that is sensible farming. There’s no nation on the earth that has launched 100 p.c sensible farming. Mongolians have excessive mental potential. Digital know-how is used for all the things corresponding to spraying pesticides. After years of analysis and experimentation, we’ve began to introduce it to Mongolia. The Ministry of Meals, Agriculture and Gentle Business has ordered it. We’re one of many contractors. It will flip into actual work within the subsequent three to 5 years. In the intervening time, we’re solely offering consulting providers.
What have been the benefits and alternatives of transitioning to e-technology in your firm?
We used to make use of greater than 100 folks. Now solely 10 individuals are working. Digital know-how makes the job a lot simpler. We’ve already seen the outcomes that show that that is the longer term of agriculture. With the intention to make it out there to the public, we’ve determined to implement a venture underneath the order of the agriculture ministry, with the assist of many organizations such because the World Financial institution and JICA.
It’s important to develop home manufacturing and exports. How do you see the exporting potential of the agricultural sector?
The mining sector is growing however it’s a resource-depleting business. Its reserves will run out within the subsequent 10 to twenty years. Wheat could be exported yearly. The Mongolian authorities has a “unusual” coverage of not exporting wheat “as a result of it’s a strategic product”. It mustn’t be restricted to assembly home wants. Mongolia is the solely nation that bans wheat exports and permits its imports. If exports are supported, will probably be potential to totally use 750,000 hectares of land. If we get 20 facilities per hectare, we’ll harvest 1.45 million tons of wheat. Assuming that 1 million tons of wheat are exported, Mongolia can earn 300 million USD yearly. It’s the gold that grows.
Selenge Province is an agricultural area however is unable to resolve the issue of livestock and agriculture. What’s your place on this?
Lengthy and medium-term plans are wanted. It should take a long time to accentuate pastoralism as a complete. There needs to be a coverage to develop intensive animal husbandry in Selenge, which produces most of Mongolia’s meals, in a number of soums of Tuv Province, and in a single or two soums of Bulgan, Khuvsgul and Khentii provinces every. The federal government has made its selections, however they have to be carried out.
Final 12 months, low-quality wheat grew in some locations. That was as a result of farmers used uncertified seeds and planted them. Everyone knows that. We have to educate the folks first after which, we can speak about improvement. Folks with this degree of morality can’t develop the nation. We’re about 200 years behind the world (when it comes to agriculture). Digital and trendy applied sciences have emerged to compensate for that improvement. We can use it to hurry up our improvement a bit.
You’re a painter. Why did you begin working in agriculture?
I graduated from the Music and Dance Faculty (now modified to the Mongolian State Conservatory) in portray and later, turned a geological economist. I used to work on the Ministry of Agriculture and work as a sports activities presenter for a radio. This influenced me to work in agriculture. Radio electronics and computer systems are my hobbies. Hobbies can turn into one’s highest degree of occupation. Subsequently, younger folks should develop their hobbies properly. As an example, an agricultural employee can’t be simply an agronomist. She or he have to be educated in engineering, mechanics, electronics, land and soil evaluation.
How do you see the event of the agricultural sector within the close to future?
What we have to do is export agricultural merchandise and produce 300 million USD to Mongolia. This isn’t a tough activity. It’s potential to earn 300 million to 450 million USD yearly by planting a number of crops on 750,000 hectares of Mongolia utilizing zero-tillage know-how. I’m working to do that. Others should additionally work towards it.
Not too long ago, the erratic use of herbicides by farmers has turn into a matter of concern. Does your organization use herbicides?
This isn’t a priority. Solely individuals who don’t know something about it say that. These folks have the fitting to be suspicious. Wheat is not going to develop with out herbicides. Folks say very unusual issues about natural meals. In our circumstances, it’s not possible to eat natural meals. You’ll be able to eat it solely if you happen to plow the land with cows and pull out weeds by hand on daily basis. Everybody was given 0.07 hectares of land by the state. Solely a handful of individuals need to develop natural greens on their land and meet their family wants. If the Japanese have been given 0.07 hectares of land, they might all have turn into millionaires by now. Mongolians have gotten increasingly more like “beggars”. Land should be changed into wealth. I urge the folks to counterpoint their 0.07 hectares of land.
Some farmers say that Russian know-how is extra appropriate for our area. What do you give it some thought?
We have to purchase know-how. Specifically, it’s essential to introduce planting know-how with out disturbing the soil. Our firm has been planting with out soil disturbance for greater than 10 years. Fashionable Canadian and American strategies are used all over the world. The Russians are additionally utilizing it. I’ve traveled to greater than 160 international locations. Ninety p.c of Russians use western know-how. So we’ve to do away with outdated concepts and adapt to new applied sciences and new occasions.
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