Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – Within the framework of the Local Business and Economic Development programme implemented by Oyu Tolgoi LLC, an initiative to create a new brand of camel wool products was launched and a “Camel wool products – Made in Mongolia” presentation was held today at the Mongolian Chamber of Trade and Industry.
As part of the initiative to create a new brand of camel wool products, an extensive study was ordered and financed by the company to determine how to produce final products from camel wool from herds in Khanbogd, Manlai, Bayan-Ovoo and Dalanzadgad soums near the Oyu Tolgoi mine. Moreover, the study identified necessary value adding stages and mapped the value chain and relationships between participants in the value chain. This study was conducted by 'Gerege Partners' and ‘Nutag tunshlel’ companies. These two companies conducted this study within the first two months of this year.
As a result, pilot production of new camel wool products from the “Galbyn Gobi Red” breed of camels has been launched. Camel wool undergoes over 10 stages of processing such as sorting, scouring, dehairing, dying, mixing, spinning, knitting, sewing, and final processing and quality control before it becomes a final product. The camel wool from Khanbogd, Manlai and Bayan-Ovoo soums is being spun at the “Sor Cashmere” factory, and then it is made into camel wool cloth by “Mongol nekhmel” company and dyed at the 'Blue Sky’ and 'Gobi' factories. From the first cloth produced by 'Denimon' LLC, a test production of some types of work uniforms for Oyu Tolgoi employees has been launched. This cloth can be used to make work uniforms for workers at the mining, construction, and infrastructure projects. The cloth is 100 per cent wool, therefore it has advantages of being light, soft, warm, strong, and non-flammable.
In our country, some 1.2-1.3 million tonnes of camel wool can be produced annually. Umnugovi aimag is a cradle of two-humped camels. Khanbogd and Bayan-Ovoo soums are the land of the “Galbyn Gobi Red” breed of camels. “Galbyn Gobi Red” camels are well adapted to the local climate, are of stout build, and produce much wool. By the end of last year, camels in Mongolia numbered 305.8 thousand animals. Thirty-two per cent of camels, or 97.3 thousand camels, are in Umnugovi aimag. The four soums where the study was conducted have a total of 35.8 thousand camels and comprise 12 per cent of the total camels in Mongolia. One camel produces on average of four kilograms of wool, therefore Khanbogd, Bayan-Ovoo and Manlai soums can produce more than 130 tonnes of camel wool per year. In other words, large resources of camel wool are available in the area. J.Togtokhsuren with 537 camels has the largest herd in Khanbogd soum. The wool of his two year old camels has a size of 14.53 microns, which almost resembles cashmere. These soums emphasise camel wool production precisely for this reason.
Some 20-30 percent of collected camel wool is purchased by Mongolian factories for processing and manufacture, however most of it is exported unprocessed. A study was conducted which calculated the opportunity costs of exporting unprocessed raw materials as 2-4 billion MNT a year for Khanbogd, Manlai, and Bayan-Ovoo camel wool alone. It is therefore of crucial importance to retain this money in Mongolia, thus creating an additional income source for herders, as well as opportunities for further increases in their living standards. If we can accomplish this, Mongolian factories can procure raw materials directly from the herders and can produce cloth and other products at national standards, adding many more advantages such as creation of new jobs at domestic factories. At the request of the Mongolian camel wool and cashmere union, the Intellectual Property Office registered in 2007 "The Gobi camel wool" geographical indicator guaranteeing the origin of the product. The Government is currently implementing the interrelated "Mongolian wool cloth" and "Production of garments" projects which are creating conditions for production of new brands and products capable of substituting imported products. This will contribute to an increase in demand for camel wool and will further increase herders incomes contributing to improvement of their livelihoods.
A few days ago, Oyu Tolgoi LLC initiated and sponsored the 'Camel wool-Finding solutions' conference.
About Oyu Tolgoi LLC (http://ot.mn/en)
Oyu Tolgoi LLC, Mongolia's largest copper and gold mining company, is a strategic partnership between the Government of Mongolia, Turquoise Hill Resources and Rio Tinto. Located in the Umnugobi, Oyu Tolgoi has commissioned Concentrator plant in December, 2012 and commenced shipments of copper concentrate in July of 2013. As the biggest single investment in Mongolian history, Oyu Tolgoi already is a major driver of the country’s economy.
Oyu Tolgoi is managed by Rio Tinto, which is investing global expertise and cutting-edge technology to help develop Mongolia’s mining industry and ensure Oyu Tolgoi is one of the world’s most advanced mines. Oyu Tolgoi is developing a nationwide vocational training programme, regional infrastructure, and is committed to ensuring more than 90 per cent Mongolian national employment and a strong Mongolian supplier base. These programmes will help drive economic growth for generations to come.
Oyu Tolgoi’s core commitment is to a safe work place and setting a new standard in environmental care.
For more information, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.