North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made rare references to the hardship in recent months, saying that the food situation was getting"tense". SEOUL: North Korea is facing a food shortage of around 860,000 tonnes this year, the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization forecast, warning that the country could experience a"harsh lean period" as early as next month.
The impoverished country, which is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, has long struggled to feed itself, suffering chronic food shortages.Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of summer storms and floods added yet more pressure on the flagging economy, and Pyongyang admitted last month that it was tackling a"current food crisis".
North Korea is projected to produce a"near-average level" of 5.6 million tonnes of grain this year, according to the FAO report, which had a reference date of Monday . That is around 1.1 million tonnes short of the amount needed to feed its entire population, the report added, and with"commercial imports officially planned at 205,000 tonnes", North Korea will likely face a food shortage of around 860,000 tonnes.
"If this gap is not adequately covered through commercial imports and/or food aid, households could experience a harsh lean period from August to October," it said.
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