Our reporter talks to Deputy Minister for Food, Agriculture and Light Industry, J.Saule.

How has the spring been for herders?
Following the heavy damage from the last dzud, herders prepared adequate hay and fodder this winter. Some soums of Uvs, Zavkhan and Uvurkhangai aimags have had difficulty with the snow but in other aimags the weather has been relatively good.  We expect 11.3 million new births this year.

What is the essential objective of the Mongol Livestock program?
A meeting to discuss its progress will be held on March 28 and 29. The priority target of the program is to improve the quality of the animals and their health, so that a herder can do with fewer. Too many animals have badly damaged the pasture land. Also animal quality is of more economic profit than just numbers. The program is aimed at exporting substantially more farm products. If we could eliminate foot and mouth disease in the five western aimags, the world will buy our processed meat and also raw livestock products.

Domestic meat prices also increase when animals die of disease. What steps are you taking?
Foot and mouth disease is a headache in other countries, too. We are extending vaccination coverage and FAO specialists have commended our efforts. I think you should ask Minister Kh.Zoljargal about the meat price.

What do you think of suggestions to privatize pasture land?
We should wait for the right time to this. A decision can be taken only after very careful deliberation as privatization can have many negative consequences.

Will food prices rise in Mongolia?
Flour prices have remained stable in Mongolia because we did not have to import wheat. About meat, 16,000 tons were stocked in the winter at a cost of MNT8 billion. This is now on sale in Ulaanbaatar, Darkhan and Erdenet.

Despite the stock, meat prices always increase in the spring. What is happening this year?
We feel prices used to go up because not enough meat was in stock. So we stocked 5.7 times more in 2010 than in 2009. Meat price should be stable and may even come down.

Do you as a woman have trouble working in such a difficult Ministry?
No. I have an experienced staff to help me, and Minister T.Badamjunai, the State Secretary and I understand one another. It is true that our Ministry is busy in all four seasons, but hard work cannot be a cause for complaint in public life.