North Korea faces serious food shortage as harsh environmental conditions such as dry spells, heat waves, and flooding have contributed to the country’s worst grain harvest in more than a decade. Agricultural output for the 2018-19 was at 4.9 million tons, the lowest since 2008-09, causing a food deficit of about 1.4 million tons, according to a report by the UN World Food Program.
The poor production is affecting over 10 million people who do not have enough food until the next harvest.
In addition to food assistance, the UN agency also recommended taking measures to boost North Korea’s agricultural production including the use of high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and other agricultural inputs and equipment. The need to reduce postharvest losses through improved grain-drying equipment, threshing machines, and storage facilities were also highlighted.
Read the full story at Farmer’s Weekly.
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