Mongolia

With the capacity to produce 30% of global supply, Mongolia is the world’s second-largest producer of cashmere. Cashmere is perhaps Mongolia’s most important industry, and efforts are now under way to modernise, market and organise it. Cashmere sales average about $180m, according to the Mongol Cashmere Association (MCA). The industry is of major...

With much of Mongolia’s current electricity and heating needs being met by coal, energy planners have in recent times been looking much more closely at diversifying the mix. A front-runner for future generating capacity is renewable energy (RE), with solar and wind power both likely to be major providers. Indeed, the country’s first new power...

Given Mongolia’s large territory and the natural barriers that cross it, along with a low density of road and railway, air transport has provided a vital link within the country ever since civil aviation began in 1946.

When it comes to petroleum products, Mongolia is completely dependent on imports from its neighbours – and particularly its northern neighbour, Russia. Meanwhile, its domestic crude oil production currently heads south to refineries in China. Recognising that this arrangement is far from optimal for Mongolia, the oil and gas downstream sector is...

For many years Mongolia was largely inaccessible by rail, but in 1947 work began on the Trans-Mongolia line, a southern spur of the famous Trans-Siberian railway, connecting Europe with the Pacific. By 1955, the line had been completed, running 2215 km from the Russian to the Chinese border, via the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Add to this two earlier...

Though the industrial and manufacturing base in Mongolia is tiny and facing significant structural challenges, several niches within this economic sector seem ideally suited for growth, and progress is already measurable. Segments including beverages, food processing, fast-moving consumer goods and pharmaceuticals look poised for expansion. Many of...