Policy recommendations on agriculture sector of Mongolia: Challenges and opportunities
The agriculture sector’s role in Mongolia’s economy cannot be underestimated. It contributes 13 percent to GDP and employs 30 percent of the total workforce. According to an ADB analysis, livestock accounts for 84.2 percent of agricultural output. Meat and milk are currently the primary products of the livestock sub-sector, amounting to 61 percent of livestock output and seven percent of GDP.1 The meat industry, particularly exports, is one of the most promising avenues for Mongolia to diversify its economy. Mongolia exported 70,000 tons of meat and meat products as of December 2023. Forty percent of this exported meat is thermally processed meat sold to China, while 11 percent is beef, 36 percent is horse, 20 percent is sheep, and 33 percent is goat.2 However, these numbers are relatively low considering the national livestock count of over 70 million animals.