Korea Purchases 30,000 Hectares in Mongolia to Initiate Agricultural Cooperation

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An agricultural development team is surveying 30,000 hectares for an agricultural project.

The Korea Mongolia Agricultural Development Preparation Committee is made up of distinguished personnel with each member carrying a stellar resume. The head of the agricultural branch, Chang Young Chang unveiled plans to carry out eco-friendly agriculture and livestock breeding on approximately 816,880 acre land by building a Kory Plantation (Derived from the 'Koryo' Dynasty of ancient Korea).

The plot of land that will become the Kory Plantation has great agricultural potential. With stable weather, high-grade dirt, clean rivers, abundant subterranean water, this will all contribute in the long run to the development of this plantation into an overseas food base, and contribute to Mongolia's food export market. For the Korean government, embarking on this venture with the Mongolian government has meaning as well.

The agreement between Korea Mongolia Agricultural Development Initiatives of the Republic of Korea and local government of Dornod Aiman of the Mongolian People's Republic is expected to bring about procurement of subterranean resources as well as provide grain and vegetable import alternatives to combat the worldwide price fluctuations of grain. Furthermore, due to agriculture being a key part to Mongolia's economy with 48 percent of the population serving in its industry, this land purchase will be an important centre for both countries.

According to a spokesperson from the blue house, President Lee Myung-bak voiced his opinion on the importance of policies to procure more food resources, saying that "in order to procure high quality resources, the government and civilian sections must create a trans-governmental organization to set plans for investing in and inviting others on these kinds of ventures." He continued during a chief secretary meeting stating that "the whole world is experiencing food shortages due to climate changes." President Lee continued that "Our agricultural plans must be implemented and studied. The future of the nation will be decided between taking losses amidst global weather changes and using this risk factor as a driving force for new growth. Procuring food for the citizens should not be left in the hands of a selection of conglomerates or the government, and we require constant government-citizen cooperation."

Damdinbazar Vice Governor, Dornod Aimag and Kim hak-Su, President of KMADI

The area for the Special Economic Agricultural Zone will be thirty thousand hectares located at the Khalkhgol region in Mongolia. The two parties shall cooperate mutually for the promotion of the projects: the formation of community for agriculture and livestock farming, preservation of ecosystems and forestation. Both parties shall conserve natural resources of eastern Mongolia, and shall move toward an exemplary environment friendly city of agriculture and economy, where human beings and nature coexist and prosper together and at the same time develop agriculture and livestock farming effectively.

The Korea Mongolia Agricultural Development Preparation Initiative (KMADI) gathered to discuss how Korea's purchase of the 30,000 hectares in Mongolia could help decrease food shortages. The Head of the Planning Committee, Kim Hak-Su said, "Procuring food is a matter of national security. Currently South Korea has only four percent grain independency other than rice, and North Korea is suffering from serious rice shortages, which is the primary food source of its citizens. We can see that both North Korean and South Korean people are facing food problems. South Korea is 96 percent dependent on imports for grains other than rice. Raising wheat, beans, maize and other agricultural products in our other sibling nation Mongolia will help combat our grain shortage and create an ideal situation by exporting any overproduced rice to North Korea and other nations. In the long run, we must utilize this chance to create a base for food self sufficiency in Mongolia and prepare a means to feed the 80 million reunified Koreans outside of the confined agricultural plots of the Korean Peninsula."

Thus, the Korea Mongolia agricultural development initiative of the Republic of Korea and the local government of Dornod Aimag of the Mongolian People's Republic deemed it necessary to keep close cooperation for successful achievement of the project.