In a statement by P.Sergelen, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industries, approximately 48 percent of the country’s crops have been lost this summer due to the extreme drought. With the weather stations forecasting early snow in the next few days, Mongolia may lose further crops.

Mongolia has cultivated 367 thousand hectares, but because the crops in 9000 hectares perished, the country is having to import 160 thousand tonnes of wheat from Russia. Over the past six years, Mongolia has fully met domestic potatoes demand; this year, however, this year it was 74 percent.

Depending on the region, between 70-90 percent of crops have been harvested. In 2017, Mongolia harvested 68 thousand tonnes of wheat, 35 thousand tonnes of potatoes, 36 thousand tonnes of vegetables and 12 thousand tonnes of fodder plants.