The United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization warned North Korea would face a food shortage of about 860,000 tons this year, with the nation facing a "severe lean period" as early as next month.
The struggling country has long battled to feed itself, suffering from chronic food shortages as a result of successive international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Last year, the Covid-19 pandemic and a series of summer storms and floods put even more strain on the economy; and Pyongyang declared last month that it was dealing with a "current food crisis."
According to the FAO report, which had a reference date of Monday, North Korea is expected to produce 5.6 million tons of grain this year at a near-average level. North Korea is around 1.1 million tons short of the quantity needed to feed its entire people; and with commercial imports officially anticipated at 205,000 tons, the country is expected to suffer an 860,000-tonne food shortage, as per the report, Republic World reported.
Typhoons, floods affected North Korea's food stocks
However, in January of last year, Pyongyang closed its borders to protect itself from the pandemic; and as a result, commerce with China - its economic lifeline - has reduced to a dribble; and all international relief workers have left the country. Last summer, a series of typhoons caused floods that damaged hundreds of houses and farms.
The China General Administration of Customs (GAC) revealed that the data in June showed a significant drop in North Korean imports from China due to the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korean imports from China totaled $28.78 million in April, according to the statistics, but plummeted to $2.7 million in May. North Korean shipments to China also decreased, as per the data.
In recent months, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made only periodic remarks of the hardship, stating that the food situation was becoming "tense." The Nokor leader urged the people to prepare for the "worst-ever situation." In the 1990s, North Korea experienced a countrywide famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people as the Soviet Union fell apart, leaving the country without essential support.
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Kim Jong Un's response to food shortage
"[If] no food is entering the country through commercial trade or food aid, the shortage will be felt during the period immediately before the next harvest, which will begin in October or November," Mario Zappacosta, a member of the United Nations FAO Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture, wrote in a statement to Newsweek.
According to the North Korean publication Rimjin-gang, the typhoon flooding caused a rise in grain and rice prices in June. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in response to the weather situation and the drop in trade: "The people's food situation is now getting tense as the agricultural sector failed to fulfill its grain production plan due to typhoon damage last year."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently removed key party leaders for failing to cope with a long-running food shortage, claiming that they jeopardized the state's security and people's safety. According to the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, the market price for corn has been growing since the beginning of the year, while the price of rice surged in June.
Per Nikkei Asia, rice prices in Hyesan, a city on the Chinese border, increased by more than 50% last month. Some North Korean watchers believe the food shortage was a factor in Kim's June 29 reprimand of senior party officials.
Kim warned of a "major crisis in maintaining the security of the state and the safety of the people" during a meeting with the party Politburo that day and removed many key party leaders. According to Thae Yong Ho, a former North Korean official who defected to the South and is now an opposition politician there, the military may have failed to obey the party's directives to release rice stocks.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a special directive on June 17 that included the release of military rice to the general public at below-market prices. However, the military lacked the necessary reserves to comply. In retaliation, the military is thought to have attempted to import rice from China without Kim's approval despite the party leadership's rigorous quarantine precautions. During the turmoil, Kim appears to be taking extra precautions to preserve mass support.
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