North Korea Still Needs Food

August 2, 2002

Despite improved harvests this year, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea urgently needs fresh pledges of external assistance to help plug a food gap threatening millions of its most vulnerable citizens ahead of the main harvests in September/October.

"Food aid shipments must be increased to prevent the poorest sections of the population from facing extreme hardship in the coming months," the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) warned in a joint report. "The safety net being provided by targeted food assistance cannot be removed at this stage without a sharp rise in malnutrition."

North Korea has suffered widespread food shortages for many years, with natural disasters such as floods and droughts aggravating the adverse effects of a dire shortage of arable land and agricultural inputs, poor soils, severe economic problems and deficiencies in the infrastructure.

Improved yields due to relatively good weather saw production of winter/spring wheat, barley and potatoes reach 441,000 tons of cereal equivalent, two-and-a-half times last year's drought-affected output of 172,000 tons and 34 per cent higher than the previous four years' average of 328,000 tons.

As a result, FAO and WFP are forecasting total domestic production in the 2001-02 marketing year (November-October) at 3.66 million tons of cereal equivalent, 42% more than the estimated 2000-01 production of 2.57 million tons. Rations channeled to more than 15 million non-farm consumers through the government-run Public Distribution System have increased by 48% this year to 292 grams per person per day, and more food is available in markets in most parts of the country.

Nonetheless, because the country's domestic production remains well below minimum consumption requirements, its capacity to import commercially is limited and pledges of aid by the international community have been slow in coming this year, the DPRK faces an uncovered food deficit of 382,000 tonnes for July-October.

A decaying irrigation system and lack of fertilizers continue to be major constraints to increased production. "The outlook beyond this season remains unfavorable, given the significant shortfalls in essential inputs and the continuing deterioration of agricultural machinery."