The Acting Director of the Lisavenko Research Institute of Horticulture for Siberia, Barnaul, Juri Zubarev conducted a training in Ulaangom, in which 71 growers of sea buckthorn took part. Topics: a) Soil preparation, b) planting seedlings, c) pest control and the sustainable use of pesticides, e) protecting berries against frost, f) use of fertilizers, g) appropriate varieties and h) harvesting techniques. The training included a practical part on sea buckthorn fields.

A further training was conducted in Ulaangom by Mr. Axel Wähling, member of the Board of Directors of the German Sea Buckthorn Association, which counted with a total of 32 participants: He introduced sea buckthorn growers into methods of avoiding dioxin contamination, bird repellent techniques and the drip irrigation technology.

23 members of the sea buckthorn cluster in Uvs as well as representatives from the Agricultural Research Institute in Uvs and the Mongolian Fruits and Berries Association conducted a study tour to the Lisavenko Research Institute of Horticulture for Siberia, Barnaul and to a research center in Novosibirsk. The purpose was to learn more about selection of appropriate sea buckthorn varieties, planting of seedlings, the management of greenhouses, irrigation and establishing trial plots.

The sea buckthorn cluster group Uvs purchased 21.000 high quality seedlings at the Lisavenko Research Institute of Horticulture for Siberia, Barnaul. They acquired 8 varieties of seedlings with different characteristics such as larger berry size, pest resistance, easy harvesting (no thorns), short stature, faster maturity of berries and higher productivity.

A series of 3 trainings on felting techniques were conducted for female felt producers from Tsetserleg and surrounding soums. The purpose was to enhance the range of felting techniques applied by the women and introduce them into more modern designs. A total of 43 participants have taken part in the trainings which were conducted by Mongolian expert Mrs. Tsend-Ayush.

The Nekheesgui Edlel company opened a washing plant for sheep wool and other fabrics in Khotont soum of Arkhangai aimak. Mrs. Ira Grebing, a German engineering expert, trained the company technical staff in environmentally sound waste water treatment techniques.

ProValue staged its annual planning workshop for the year 2018 at MNCCI’s conference hall. It combined a look back at activities promoted in 2017, successes achieved and challenges confronted, with the planning for the third year of its existence. Besides the key project partners a range of further partners took part. Among them were representatives of the French Embassy, government administrations of Arkhangai and Uvs aimaks, the National Fruits and Berries Association, the National Wool Association, the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, the Food Research Centre and the Herders‘ Association of Arkhangai.