N. Korea falls well short on food for its people
North Korea’s daily food distribution only met 60 percent of the U.N. recommendation. /Yonhap
By Lee Jin-a
North Korea doled out 360 grams of food daily to each citizen in April and May, 60 percent of the United Nations’ recommendation, a U.N.-affiliated organization said Thursday.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the daily distribution in the isolated country was 50 grams less than the same period last year and 10 grams less than the previous quarter.
Because of a poor harvest last year, the state could neither satisfy the U.N.’s daily recommendation of 600 grams nor achieve its daily target of 573 grams.
The FAO said the North Korean government is facing its worst food shortage since 2011 and has to secure an extra 694,000 tons through imports and help from other countries.
Meanwhile, the state’s leader, Kim Jong-un, recently visited a renovated confectionary factory in Pyongyang, North Korean state media said Thursday.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim has inspected the factory that produces sweets, including candy, snacks and starch syrup, seven times.
“I am highly satisfied with the ruling party’s current policy as it solved the shortage of confectionary products through utilizing corn, which is massively cultivated in the country,” Kim told the news agency.
According to the FAO, North Korea’s corn production last year dropped 3 percent from the previous year to 2.3 million tons. Rice production was down 26 percent to 1.95 million tons.