80 Percent of Crops Dead, 150 Billion Mnt Buried in the Ground

By B.Khash-Erdene

Approximately 80 percent of Mongolia's crops have died this summer due to extreme drought across the country, according to board member of the Mongolian Plantation Union B.Erdenebat.

Though the situation has reached a critical level, the Ministry of Industry and Agriculture has yet to take action, let alone announce to the public what is happening.

According to B.Erdenebat, who is more commonly known as a member of the famous Mongolian pop group Camerton, crop fields remain productive in only in the regions of the Khalkh River in Bulgan and Selenge provinces.

Not counting equipment purchase costs, B.Erdenebat said the damages amount to 150 billion MNT so far. Some soums have started preparing soil for next year, as it is evident that no yield can be expected this year.

According to B.Erdenebat, crop farmers and provinces have been urging the ministry to prepare for cloud seeding to force rain, without much success, since winter.

"Crop farmers and union members have been telling the ministry [about drought conditions] all winter. We asked them to allocate a budget and prepare cloud seeding equipment and cartridges. We reminded them that plantation yield is cyclical and that since the last few years gave a good harvest, this year will be difficult. But the ministry did not take any measures. They have been very irresponsible in this regard. They kept reciting bad financial standings and didn't heed our words," B.Erdenebat told Udriin Sonin.

"Almost 80 percent of the cloud seeding cartridges were used to put out the wildfire in Dornod Province this spring China and Russia have lost 20 to 25 percent of their crops, but we lost 80 percent," he added.

Although cloud seeding has been effective in bringing about rain in the past, the union said that the state's cloud seeding personnel had been changed entirely and the new staff haven't been able to produce rain effectively.

The prices of flour and rice will increase this fall due to the losses in crops, according to analysts.

Las year, Mongolia harvested more than it had in over 17 years, but the state only reserved 30,000 tons of grain, a one-month reserve. According to B.Erdenebat, the Plantation Union advised the ministry to buy reserves from private companies, and received no response.

"Mongolia should at least have a year's worth of reserve since it can't manage four to five years like bigger countries. But the ministry didn't listen. The people will feel what it's like to...