Since 2014, the Federal Plant Variety Office has been supporting Mongolia in building up technical expertise in the plant varieties and seed sector. By creating a legal and institutional framework the further development of Mongolia's agricultural and food industry will be supported.

In on-site discussions, the Federal Plant Variety Office (BSA) advises the responsible ministry on the revision of its variety and seed law. BSA experts also support the drafting of test guidelines based on international standards and provide training in their practical application. These guidelines form the basis in order to test new variety candidates on the criteria distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS, criteria for register examination). In addition, recommendations are made on building, equipping and organising testing stations.

The BSA is active in Mongolia via the cooperation project "Sustainable Agriculture" (DMKNL). This project supports the Mongolian government in its efforts to establish an ecologically and economically sustainable agricultural sector.

Mongolia has about 3.2 million inhabitants (Germany 83 million) and an area of about 155 million hectares (Germany 35.7 million hectares). This makes it the country with the lowest population density in the world. Due to the geological and climatic conditions (high mountains, desert, steppes, and short summers), more than 110 million hectares can only be used as pasture land. Only 1.3 million hectares are used as agricultural land for growing wheat, barley, pulses, potatoes and fruits. In Mongolia, 30.4% of the labour force works in agriculture.

Further Information:

• project website
• project website BMEL
• project flyer