North's 'Rice Planting Battle' at Stake... Government Says North Korea Likely to Lack 860,000 Tons of Grain

Disruption in Grain Imports Due to COVID-19 Border Closures
North Korea Mobilizes Even Students for Food Self-Sufficiency Efforts

The first rice planting took place on the 10th in Wonhwa-ri, Pyongwon County, South Pyongan Province, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party, reported on the front page on the 11th.

The Ministry of Unification announced on the 19th that North Korea's food shortage is expected to continue this year, with a deficit estimated at about 860,000 tons (t).

On the 19th, a Ministry of Unification official told reporters in response to questions about North Korea's food situation, "It can be assumed that COVID-19 significantly hindered North Korea's import of goods from abroad," adding, "This year, North Korea is expected to have a grain shortage of about 860,000t."

This figure is derived by subtracting last year's grain production of 4.64 million tons, announced by the Rural Development Administration, from North Korea's usual grain demand of about 5.5 million tons.

The official said, "Since North Korea closed its borders at the end of January, there would naturally be difficulties in importing grain," but added, "Nonetheless, it appears that grain aid is being provided to North Korea from abroad." In fact, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang announced on the 14th (local time) that Russia had provided 25,000 tons of wheat as relief supplies.

To cope with the chronic food shortage, North Korea has recently launched a 'rice planting battle.'

The Workers' Party organ, Rodong Sinmun, on the 18th introduced the determination to increase agricultural production in Hwanghae Namdo, coinciding with the rice planting season.

Ri Cheol-man, Party Committee Chairman of Hwanghae Namdo, wrote in a Rodong Sinmun article, "Wherever you go in the fields, when you sit down with the farm workers, their mental state is very high," and declared the intention to make Hwanghae Namdo a province where the socialist rural construction plan is perfectly realized.

The Cabinet organ, Minju Choson, in an editorial titled "Vigorously Support the Main Front of the Decisive Battle for a Direct Breakthrough" on the 15th, defined strengthening support for the agricultural sector as "an important political task to realize our Party's plan and intention to completely solve the people's food and grain problems."

The newspaper particularly emphasized, "The reality shows that efforts to increase grain production are not merely practical tasks to solve food problems but fierce class struggles to defend socialism."

In North Korea, it is known that by mid-May, thousands to tens of thousands of middle school students, university students, soldiers, clerks, and workers are obligatorily dispatched to support rural areas. Especially, students suspend their studies and stay at cooperative farms for an entire month, engaging in the 'rice planting battle' from early morning until evening.

According to the "North Korean Human Rights White Paper 2020" published this month by the Korea Institute for National Unification, it is understood that in North Korea, students are frequently mobilized for various tasks after school or during class hours beyond the officially designated curriculum.

The white paper explains, "In spring, classes are suspended and students are mobilized for about a month for weeding and rice planting, and in autumn for potato harvesting and corn picking."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.