M.
Davaasuren, General Director of Gan Khiits, told a recent seminar on the
Mongolian industrial scene, that individual sectors in the country were too
small and companies have to diversify to expand, if not just to survive. His
company began with construction, but has now achieved success in several other
fields. It has supplied metal designs and the workforce to install them in the
tallest building coming up in Ulaanbaatar. It also builds all kinds of
electricity tower bases and is now responsible for meeting 25% of the demand in
Mongolian. It also wants to produce something for the individual consumer, and
edible mushroom, sold under the brand name Husandai, is grown year round.

Davaasuren says his formula for success has not changed in the seven years he
has been in business. “I do not demand any subsidy from the government but
domestic industries cannot survive and flourish without easier access to
affordable credit,” he said, adding that the alternative was exempted
manufacturing units from paying tax, maybe for just the first year of
operation. He called upon Mongolians to be more industry-minded. “We receive
free or heavily subsidized education, and can pay back our debt to the state by
generating employment and producing import substitutes,” he said. Mongolian
engineers have all the skills required for this. All they need is encouragement
and a little initial support.