Chinese plant tissue culture technology in Mongolia

A Chinese enterprise has introduced plant tissue culture technology to Mongolia in a bid to fight desertification.

In Mongolia, more than 70% of soil is facing desertification, driven by climate change and overgrazing. The local government aims to plant at least one billion trees before 2030, but only a tenth of that target has been achieved since the programme was launched five years ago.

A Chinese businessman, who came to Mongolia 27 years ago, started operating a plant nursery in the country two years ago. To overcome the climate change issue, he introduces Chinese plant tissue culture technology and experts to Mongolia. He says the team will nurture selected seeds in a greenhouse before transferring them to an outside environment for climate acclimatisation for three to five years. The enterpriser says such a method will ensure a greater survival rate of the trees when they are planted on mountains or grasslands.