The "Third Neighboring Country" of the Gobi Grasslands: South Korea Assists Mongolia in Successfully Testing Locally Developed Rice Varieties

Mongolian News Agency, Ulaanbaatar, September 23 - This April, a joint trial planting conducted by the Korean Overseas Agricultural Technology Development Center (KOPIA) in Mongolia and its Mongolian center on 5.3 hectares of land in Bulgan County, Kobdo Province, was successful.

Kim Min-gyu, Director of the KOPIA Center in Mongolia and a rice expert, said that it is expected to harvest 6 to 8 tons of rice per hectare in the experimental paddy fields. This is equivalent to the average yield of Korean paddy fields. We have successfully cultivated varieties suitable for Mongolia by testing seeds and varieties that grow under the harshest conditions in South Korea. With the assurance of rice cultivation, we may develop it through a cluster system.

A working group led by T. Jambaltsarai, Secretary of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry, recently visited the operations of "GIMEX" company. The company is conducting pilot planting of rice in Bulgan County. The company's president, Z. Ganhuyag, said that research on rice cultivation began about 20 years ago. In addition to rice planting, building lakes and windbreak forests are also of great importance for Mongolia, which has an extreme continental climate, to maintain natural balance. By introducing rice varieties suitable for cultivation in Mongolia, it will be possible to reduce dependence on importing 68,000 tons of rice (approximately 5 million USD), create 5,000 to 8,000 new jobs, and become an important driving force for local development, thereby enabling Mongolians to have the conditions to eat fresh and safe rice.

T. Jambaltsarai, Secretary of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry, stated that research on growing rice in Mongolia began over 40 years ago, and added that collaborative research and analysis and trials with the private sector and foreign partners on replacing imports and developing agriculture have made significant contributions to ensuring food supply and security.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844060894170176/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.