FAO in Mongolia

Improved meat hygiene and commercial meat processing

In June 2008, the Government and the private sector, though the Mongolian Meat Association (MMA), requested technical assistance and limited inputs from FAO to fill the meat technology and training gaps by establishing a national Meat Training and Service Centre (MTSC) at the Food Technology College (FTC) in Ulaanbaatar. Assistance was also requested to set up the four Soum-level meat enterprises. FAO responded to the request by providing assistance under the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme for $387 000. The programme was implemented in two phases (June 2008 to 30 December 2009 and January to June 2010) because of delays caused by the long and harsh winters in Mongolia.

The objective of the assistance was to make meat available as an affordable food item in the diets of the Mongolian people and improve the commercialization of processed meat products for domestic consumption and for export. The project achieved all of the planned results, including:

  • Four soum-level enterprises were established for small-scale animal slaughter and meat processing, each one has created 4 full time jobs;
  • Tailored, vocational training modules were developed with substantial training materials, two textbooks and ten training manuals, developed and published in Mongolian, tested and introduced for transferring improved meat technologies and control systems to the commercial meat sector and 70 meat operators and inspectors trained;
  • Trainers’ training programme completed for 20 subject matter specialists and technicians, who will form the core meat training and service team;

A final project workshop has held on 30 September 2010 to share the results of the project, including two national television programmes which promoted the success of the project.

Feedback from participants highlighted that the practical capacity development activities of the project provided a high level of benefit for SME stakeholders. In addition to the above results the project had other successes:

  • One of the major innovations of the project was to link up with and, using TCP resources, leverage a long term Technical Advisor from the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) under the GTZ Integrated Experts Programme
  • A technical expert was selected by FAO/GTZ and recruited by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry (MoFALI) of Mongolia with a topping up from GTZ for a two year period. The expert is based at the Meat Training and Service Centre at the FTC and also at the MoFALI in Ulaanbaatar;
  • In each of the four soum-level meat processing/ abattoir enterprises established under the project four new full time jobs are reported as being created;
  • Successful public-private partnership models have been established under the project – both for the training design and delivery and also the set up and operation of the four soum-level activities;
  • Establishment of a Meat Training and Service Centre at the Food Technology College in Ulaanbaatar, renovated, equipped and made fully functional as a national vocational training facility, used by full-time college students attending general food and catering industry certificate and diploma courses;
  • Meat processing equipment was designed and manufactured locally in order to enhance project sustainability;
  • High level of benefit for women under the capacity development activities (77%);
  • Based on the success of the project the Government of Italy was attracted to support a follow on initiative on “Quality meat for Consumers”, valued at 520 000 USD (GCP/MON/007/ITA).

The project was coordinated by MoFALI, which appointed a senior, experienced national project coordinator. A participatory approach was adopted to ensure the widest possible involvement of the main beneficiaries and supporting agencies.

Project name: Improved meat hygiene and commercial meat processing - TCP/MON/3105 Phase I and TCP/MON/3206 Phase II.

Publicated: June, 2016.