Seoul: In response to worries that the nation’s food shortage is getting worse, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly urged government officials to engineer a “fundamental transformation” in agricultural production on Tuesday, according to state media.
During the second day of the seventh enlarged plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea on Monday, Kim stated that meeting grain production goals this year was a top priority and emphasised the significance of stable agricultural production, according to state news agency KCNA.
North Korea’s plans for action were not covered in detail in the report, but Kim insisted that changes must be made soon.
According to researchers, collective farms make up the vast majority of North Korea’s agricultural output. These farms frequently house several small farmers who work together to produce the crops.
Kim’s comment comes amid reports of worsening food shortages in the nation, though North Korea has refuted claims that it is unable to feed its people.
The North’s food situation “seemed to have deteriorated,” according to the Unification Ministry of South Korea earlier this month.
When the special meeting on agriculture strategy that was scheduled for late February was announced, the ministry noted that it was unusual for North Korea to do so.
According to KCNA, Kim stressed the “importance of the growth of the agricultural productive forces” in his speech at the meeting on Monday to ensure socialist construction.
North Korea’s economy has been further strained by strict self-imposed border lockdowns intended to stop COVID-19 outbreaks. North Korea is already subject to severe international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
Although the full extent of the food shortages in North Korea is unknown, the US-based 38 North project stated in a report from January that the situation was at its worst since the 1990s famines that ravaged the nation.
According to the report, “food availability has likely decreased below the bare minimum with regard to human needs.”
Nearly all of North Korea’s grain is produced domestically as part of its quest for self-sufficiency, but this leaves the nation vulnerable, according to 38 North.
The report stated that North Korea was exposed to global shocks, diplomatic disputes, and bad weather because it was unable to produce enough food on account of the unfavourable soil conditions in its country.
The standoff over nuclear weapons and sanctions must be resolved in part to find a long-term solution to the issues, but economic reforms are also necessary.
The start of domestic economic reforms would free North Korea’s productive capacity, enable it to earn foreign exchange and import bulk grains on a financially viable basis while also enabling it to export industrial products and tradeable services.
