Squeezed between China and Russia, Mongolia’s herders feel pinch

Mongolia, where winter temperatures often dip below -35°C, is grappling with skyrocketing energy prices [Courtesy of Antonio Graceffo]

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – Dulamsuren Demberel, a 58-year-old herder who lives an eight-hour drive from Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar, finds it harder each month to make the household budget work.

Prices of flour and rice, among the basic staples Mongolia’s herders cannot produce themselves, have soared due to the war in Ukraine, with overall inflation running at an eye-watering 14.5 percent.