It Makes a Difference to the Sheep

North Korea’s food harvests for the 2004-2005 season is expected to be its best in a decade, with some 4.1 million tons of rice, corn and other grain being produced, a joint report by the UN’s World Food Program (WFP) and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) says. A statement was released by the UN agencies following a visit by officials from the WFP and FAO in September and October. The production is up approximately 2.4 percent from a year earlier and is the fourth consecutive year of increase, according to the UN agencies. However, the UN agencies warn that they will still need some 500,000 tons of food aid in 2005 to feed the nations most vulnerable—some 6.1 million children, pregnant women, and elderly. The UN agencies also warn that some modest reforms for the country’s planned economy to a more market based one have caused prices to go up while wages were cut, making it increasingly difficult for people to afford food.

// posted by Kirk @ 6:14 PM