KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF * (19 November)
Planting of the 2002/03 winter wheat and barley crops was completed in October. Reflecting a projected increase of about 10 percent in the area planted, the harvest in June 2003 is expected to improve over last year, despite a slight decline in forecast yields.
An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission visited the country from 24 September to 5 October to assess the 2002 main cereal harvest, make a provisional forecast of the 2002/03 winter/spring crops and estimate the cereal import requirement for the 2002/03 marketing year (November/October) including food aid needs. The Mission concluded that the outcome of the 2002 main season cereal harvest, including rice in milled form and potatoes in cereal equivalent, was 3.45 million tonnes. Together with a forecast of the winter/spring harvest in June 2003, the cereal production available for the 2002/03 marketing year (November/October) is tentatively estimated at 3.84 million tonnes (milled basis). This is 4.9 percent above the output of the previous year, mainly reflecting relatively favourable rainfall, improved irrigation, international assistance with the provision of fertilizers and pesticides and priority given by the Government in timely allocation of seeds and other farm inputs to the agricultural sector.
Despite the improved harvests in 2001 and 2002, domestic food production continues to fall short of the country’s minimum needs. For 2002/03 (November/October) the deficit is estimated at 1.08 million tonnes of cereals. Against this requirement, the commercial import capacity is estimated at only 100 000 tonnes, leaving a food aid need in cereals of 0.98 million tonnes for the coming 12 months. Part of this is already covered by concessional imports of 300 000 tonnes and food aid pledges of 126 000 tonnes. Thus, there remains an uncovered deficit of 558 000 tonnes which needs to be met by additional food aid pledges and/or concessional imports. Based on vulnerability analyses, the Mission recommended the mobilization of 512 000 tonnes of food aid (429 000 tonnes of cereals and 83 000 tonnes of other food) for 6.4 million people in the coming year. Presently, food aid stocks held by the WFP are all but depleted and only 27 000 tonnes of pledges are in the pipeline. To avert already widespread hunger and malnutrition developing further, donor allocations of some 126 000 tonnes of food aid are urgently required to cover the WFP operation for the remainder of the year and the first 3 months of 2003.