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MongoliaExports and Imports
Although Mongolia's foreign trade has risen consistently
since 1940, it has registered chronic deficits. In 1940 foreign
trade amounted to 144.2 million tugriks, of which 54.9 million
represented exports and 89.3 million represented imports. In 1960
foreign trade jumped to 676.7 million tugriks (289.6 million in
exports and 387.1 million in imports), but it increased more
slowly in the next decade. It reached 820.5 million tugriks in
1970, of which 337.6 million represented exports, and 482.9
million, imports. External trade more than tripled between 1970
and 1980, rising to 2.8 billion tugriks--1.2 billion tugriks in
exports and 1.6 billion tugriks in imports. In 1985 foreign trade
totaled 5.3 billion tugriks, with exports valued at 2 billion
tugriks and imports at 3.3 billion tugriks.
In the 1980s Mongolia exported primarily fuel, minerals,
metals, and raw materials, including foodstuffs, and it imported
machinery and equipment, fuels, and consumer goods. Agricultural
products initially made up most of the exports, but they
decreased in importance as exports of minerals expanded after
1970. Exports of processed foodstuffs and such consumer goods as
woolen blankets and leather clothing increased after 1970, while
exports of unprocessed foodstuffs and animal products declined.
Since 1970 imports of machinery and fuels have risen, and those
of consumer goods have fallen (see
table 9, Appendix). Principal
export commodities included cement, lumber and sawn timber, wool,
large and small hides, grain, meat, and clothing. Although
mineral exports were substantial, no figures were available on
export volume. Principal import commodities included machine
tools, diesel generators, electric motors, transformers,
construction equipment, motor vehicles, gasoline and diesel fuel,
iron and steel, fertilizers, cement, foodstuffs, textiles, and
consumer goods (see
table 10, Appendix). The Eighth Plan called
for increasing foreign trade volume by 20 to 25 percent, for
improving the quality and the selection of export products, and
for raising the proportion of mining and light industrial
products in exports.
Data as of June 1989
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