The new contract includes construction of a natural gas processing chemical plant in a small town near Russia’s shores at the Gulf of Finland. The plant will comprise two sets of ethylene cracking facilities with an annual capacity of 1.4 million tons. It will also have six sets of polyethylene facilities with an annual capacity of 480,000 tons, two sets of LAO facilities with an annual capacity of 137,000 tons and an outside battery limiter (OSBL).

The project is divided into three phases: infrastructure extension, early stage engineering and then project implementation. The contract period is five years.

CNCEC said in a statement it would continue to tap the Russian market, promote cooperation for mutual benefits and win-win results.

In September 2019, exports and imports reached to USD 559.0 million and USD 507.5 million, respectively. Compared to the previous month, exports decreased by USD 256.6 million and imports decreased by USD 76.5 million. Total foreign trade turnover increased by USD 911.0 (9.5%) million, of which exports increased by USD 663.3 million (12.6%) and imports increased by USD 247.8 million (5.7%) compared to the same period of previous year.

In the first 9 months of 2019, foreign trade surplus reached USD 1.3 billion, which increased by USD 415.5 million from USD 931.7 million in the same period of 2018. In September 2019, foreign trade surplus reached to USD 51.4 million. Compared to the previous month, foreign trade surplus decreased by USD 180.2 million.

The 663.3 million increase in exports from the same period of previous year was due to the increases of USD 312.5 million in bituminous coal and USD 199.8 million in gold, unwrought or in semi-manufactured forms exports.

The USD 247.8 million increase in imports from the same period of previous year was mainly due to USD 40.9 million increase in mineral products imports, especially, USD 93.6 million increase in diesel imports and USD 179.8 million increase in transport vehicles and its spare parts.

Exports of mineral products, textiles and textile articles, natural or cultured stones, precious metals jewelry made up 95.8 percent of total export. On the other hand, 68.3 percent of imports was mineral products, machinery, equipment, electric appliances, transport vehicle and its spare parts and food products.

Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia

In September 2019, however, the gross industrial output reached MNT 1.5 trillion, it is decreased by MNT 63.2 billion (4.0%) compared to the previous month.

In September 2019, the seasonally adjusted industrial production index was 166.7 (2010=100), it is decreased by 4.8% from the same period of previous year, by 7.1% from the end of previous year and by 5.1% from the previous month.

In the first 9 months of 2019, in mining sector, crude oil, fluorspar, coal, gravel and iron ore are increased by 2.2-37.3% compared to the same period of previous year, which in manufacturing sector, production of horse meat, vacuum windows and doors, cashmere products, buuz and dumpling, wooden window and door are increased by 13.5% to 2.2 times more.

On the other hand, in mining sector, extraction of zinc concentrate, copper concentrate, extraction of molybdenum concentrate and gold are decreased by 0.3-24.1%. In manufacturing sector, productions of beer, sausage products, wooden products, alcoholic beverage, copper cathode, combed cashmere and fodder are decreased by 1.2-34.4% compared to the same period of previous year.

In the first 9 months of 2019, the sales of industrial production reached MNT 15.1 trillion, increased by MNT 1.9 trillion (14.3%) from the same period of previous year. From the total sales of industrial production, MNT 10.5 trillion (69.9%) were export.

Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia

In September 2019, equilibrated revenue and grants of the General government budget reached MNT 872.7 billion, increased by MNT 31.5 billion or 3.7% from the previous month and total expenditure and net lending reached MNT 937.8 billion, increased by MNT 111.1 billion or 13.4% from the previous month.

In the first 9 months of 2019, tax revenue reached MNT 7.0 trillion, increased by MNT 1225.1 billion or 21.2% compared with the same period of previous year. This growth was mainly affected by increases of MNT 371.7 billion or 26.3% in income tax, MNT 273.4 billion or 24.0% in social security revenue, MNT 231.9 billion or 15.1% in value added taxes, MNT 135.9 billion or 25.0% in other tax, MNT 104.4 billion or 18.9% in excise taxes and MNT 94.9 billion or 19.4% in revenue from foreign activities.

General Government budget revenue was comprised of 81.0% of tax revenue, 8.5% of non-tax revenue, 9.7% of the future heritage fund and 0.8% of the stabilization fund.

In the first 9 months of 2019, total expenditure and net lending of the General government budget reached MNT 7.3 trillion, increased by MNT 989.4 billion or 15.8% compared with the same period of previous year. This increase was mainly due to MNT 634.7 billion or 12.3% increase in current expenditure and MNT 477.1 billion or 56.6% increase in capital expenditure.

General government budget expenditure and net lending was comprised of 79.6% of current expenditure, 18.2% of capital expenditure and 2.2% of net lending.

Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia

The Mongolian cabinet has drafted steps to increase the number of civil servants by 3300 in 2020. Because of a recent rise in the number of civil servants rose to over 200,000, there has been fierce public criticism and demands that the number be cut. However, the cabinet said that number of civil servants needs to be increased due to the various newly constructed schools, kindergartens which are coming on line. The cabinet has budgeted an additional MNT 52 billion to cover the salaries of these new people.

Afolabi, 24, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Saturday having left Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital, a day earlier according to Al-Jazeera.

He had been trapped in Mongolia for 16 months and was overstaying a tourist visa, a situation which made it impossible to secure work, get his travel documents in order or afford a flight home.

“I'm very happy to have gained freedom leaving Mongolia,” he said. “I didn't believe I'd be in Nigeria on Saturday. I didn't believe it. Now, I'm experiencing so many things in Nigeria. Fresh air, fresh food. I'm really happy,” he added.

Al Jazeera reported on his plight in August and the challenges faced by many other aspiring African footballers stranded in several countries, having been duped by people posing as agents and tricking them into paying significant sums to travel and play for foreign clubs.

In Afolabi's case, a Nigerian man, who lived close to his home, spun him a tale, took his savings and sent him to play for local Mongolian club Western Khovd FC but the job did not last beyond his tourist visa and he quickly fell into serious financial and personal problems.

Christopher Hannah, a Scottish businessman, who had lived in Mongolia for six months, read and empathised with Afolabi's story and volunteered to help him.

“I had come across Moshood two weeks before I contacted him. I saw the article and at the time I was in Scotland.

“I flew back to Mongolia and saw it posted again on a forum and I remember someone was asking, 'Why doesn't someone help this guy?

“Football is one of the best ways to break communication or culture barriers. This was the main reason Moshood and I could come together,” he said.

After the Nigerian footballer spent a week in detention in late September at the Mongolian Immigration Service, Hannah booked and paid for Afolabi's $900 flight home, while Afolabi's friend Wael, an Egyptian immigrant, gave him the $750 he needed to pay to Mongolia for overstaying his visa.

“I felt sad because I hadn't experienced it in my life to be in a detention room for seven days,” said Afolabi.

“For the first three days in detention, I was drinking water, fasting and praying to God to save me,” he added.

Hannah claimed that his life in Mongolia took a turn for the worse after he helped Afolabi, saying he was treated with hostility by locals and was eventually denied a business visa extension.

He has now returned to his native Scotland and is in the process of opening a new football agency focusing on regions such as Africa.

In the January-September period, 61.8 percent of the tourists to Mongolia were from the East Asia and Pacific region, 31.4 percent from Europe, 4.5 percent from the Americas and 2.3 percent from the Middle East, South Asia and Africa region, the country's National Statistics Office (NSO) said.

Chinese tourists accounted for 31.6 percent of the total number of foreign tourists in the period, according to the NSO.

Mongolia has been striving to develop its tourism sector in a bid to diversify its mining-dependent economy. The country has set a goal of hosting one million foreign tourists and earning one billion U.S. dollars from tourism by 2020.

Mongolia attracted a total of 529,370 foreign tourists in 2018, up 11.01 percent from the previous year, according to the country's Environment and Tourism Ministry.

The Kazakhstan side will introduce its technology of gold and silver refining into Mongolia free of charge. The patent costs $30 million.

Minister of Mining and Heavy Industry of Mongolia Dolgorsürengiin Sumiyabazar said “The Kazakhstan side will render support on technology and human resource to build and operate the plant. In connection with commissioning the plant, we are preparing to submit a draft law on Precious Stones and Metals. By adopting the law, conditions will be created for not only processing gold and silver at home but also promoting jewelry manufacturing.”

The gold and silver refining plant will be erected with $81.7 million and will process seven to eight types of other elements besides refining 25 tons of gold and 50 tons of silver a year.

Eight cooperation agreements and memorandums worth about $200 million were signed during the Mongolia-Kazakhstan Business Forum.

Chairman of the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry O.Amartuvshin said that the parties signed agreements on collaborating in mining, transport and logistics, agriculture and medical technology fields. "Furthermore, we are opening a short path to export products to Europe and the Middle East, operating direct flight from Mongolia to Kazakhstan and developing air cargo. It enables to deliver agricultural products especially mutton by air transport to the countries of the Middle East passing through Kazakhstan. In addition, refining gold at home will bring many advantages.

As of October 8, a total of 192.4 thousand of grain was harvested from 148.0 thousand hectares, of which 187.1 thousand tons of wheat; 158.6 thousand tons of potatoes from 12.9 thousand hectares, 68.4 thousand tons of vegetables from 6.1 thousand hectares. It means that the harvesting is running at 42.3 percent for grains, 75.9 percent for vegetables and 86.6 percent for potatoes.

According to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry, it is expected to harvest 441.9 thousand tons of grain, of which 420.0 thousand of wheat; 176.8 thousand tons of potatoes, 91.2 thousand tons of vegetables, 38.0 thousand tons of oil plant and 80.4 thousand tons of fodder plants.

A.Enkhsarnai