Meat exports from Mongolia to Russia likely to nearly double

Exports of meat from Mongolia to Russia may almost double.

Russia is interested in increased supplies of Mongolian meat, especially to neighbouring Russian regions that have extensive processing capacities, said Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev, who is the Russian chairman of the inter-governmental Mongolian-Russian commission on trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation. Its 10th session wound up in Ulan Bator on Saturday.

Replying to a RIA Novosti question, Gordeyev said that in 2002 Mongolia supplied to Russia 24,000 tons of meat products. It is about 1 percentage point of all Russian imports, the vice-premier said.

The task set for this year is to raise meat exports from Mongolia to 40,000 tons, Gordeyev said.

Speaking of the joint Mongolian-Russian Erdenet group of plants, the Russian vice-premier said that for the Russian side it is of fundamental importance to keep parity in ownership relations.

He expressed confidence that shortly a treaty on the Erdenet ore mining and dressing mills will be initialed and the sides will sign the new agreement.

At present, a 51 per cent stake in the enterprise is owned by Mongolia and 49 per cent by Russia.

Gordeyev also added that the date was agreed for a visit to Moscow by Mongolia's Prime Minister Nambaryn Enkhbayar - it is scheduled for early July.

The commission ended up by signing a protocol on trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Mongolia for 2003.