Majority of Country Lacks Pasture to Graze Livestock in Coming Winter
MONGOLIA - At a national level, a total of 66 million heads of livestock are expected to go winter in 164 thousand herder households, excluding animals to be supplied to domestic market and for export. 9.2 million heads of them will move from one place to another for better pasture.Mongolian news agency Montsame reports that annually 1.2-1.4 million tons of hay is prepared for winter. However, this year 850 thousand tons of hay have been prepared, lacking some 400 thousand tons. Wasted and substandard wheat and fodder are assessed to recoup the lacking hay.
A Working Group on drought evaluation of the State Emergency Commission concluded that 94 soums of 15 aimags have experienced drought and 153 soums of 21 aimags in very dry condition.
"25 per cent of the country has sufficient pasture for passing winter and spring, while the rest has experienced overgrazing.
"It means 75 per cent of the country will lack pasture to graze livestock, requiring more migration in winter and spring, more fodder to prepare and cutting number of animals," said L.Choi-Ish, Director of Regulatory Department of Livestock Husbandry Policy Implementation at the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry.
For the winter and spring preparation of the livestock sector, strengthening the veterinary quarantine regime, and preparing hay and fodder, MNT 700 million has been allocated from the Government reserve fund.
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