Food shortages and economic hardships have persisted in the country since a famine killed an estimated hundreds of thousands of people in the mid-1990s
There’s little doubt that North Korea’s chronic food shortages worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and speculation about the country’s food insecurity has flared as its top leaders prepare to discuss the “very important and urgent task” of formulating a correct agricultural policy.
The meeting will be the party’s first plenary session convened just to discuss agricultural issues, though they often are a key topic at broader conferences in North Korea. Raising grain output was one of 12 economic priorities the party adopted during a plenary meeting in December. South Korean estimates put North Korea’s grain production last year at about 4.5 million tons, a 3.8% decrease from a year earlier. Annual grain output has plateaued at about 4.4 million tons to 4.8 million tons in the past decade.
Koo Byoungsam, a spokesperson at the South Korean Unification Ministry, said that an unknown number of North Koreans have died of hunger, but said the problem is not as serious as the mid-1990s famine, which stemmed from natural disasters, the loss of Soviet assistance and mismanagement. North Korea monitoring groups have reported increases in the prices of rice and corn – the two most important staples – though the price of corn has stabilized recently in some regions.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
North Korea test fires cruise missiles to demonstrate nuclear counterattackThe exercise involved an apparently operational strategic cruise missile unit of the Korean People’s Army, which fired four ‘Hwasal-2′ missiles
Read more »
Cyberattack on food giant Dole temporarily shuts down North America production, company memo saysA cyberattack earlier this month forced produce giant Dole to temporarily shut down production plants in North America and halt food shipments to grocery stores, according to a company memo about the incident obtained by CNN.
Read more »
North Korea says it test-fired long-range cruise missilesNorth Korea said Friday it test-fired long-range cruise missiles in waters off its eastern coast a day earlier, adding to a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations as its rivals step up military training.
Read more »
North Korea says it test-fired long-range cruise missilesNorth Korea said Friday it test\u002Dfired long\u002Drange cruise missiles in waters off its eastern coast a day earlier
Read more »
North Korea says it test-fired long-range cruise missilesNorth Korea said Friday it test-fired long-range cruise missiles in waters off its eastern coast a day earlier, adding to a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations as its rivals step up military training.
Read more »
North Korea says it test-fired long-range cruise missilesNorth Korea said Friday it test\u002Dfired long\u002Drange cruise missiles in waters off its eastern coast a day earlier
Read more »