KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF* (18 June)

An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission, which visited the country from 2-12 June, found that the food supply difficulties have deepened, with the Public Food Distribution System ceasing to function since March. As a result, deaths related to dietary deficiencies have increased, with people relying on the consumption of herbs, wild plants, roots and wild fruits.

Last year, FAO and WFP estimated the country’s food import requirements at 1.95 million tonnes for 1997/98 (Nov/Oct), but only 400 000 tonnes of food aid were received with another 400 000 tonnes pledged. Commercial imports to make up for the shortfall are constrained by the country’s lack of foreign exchange reserves and severe economic difficulties. More international assistance is therefore urgently required.

Furthermore, prospects for quick recovery in food production will depend heavily on adequate supplies of essential inputs, such as fertilizers and seeds. On 28 May, at a roundtable meeting in Geneva, the government appealed for US$300 million from the international community to restore its farming sector and end its dependence on international food aid. In this regard, FAO has updated its requested contribution within the 1998 UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal to US$14 million.

Early prospects for 1998 crops are favourable, reflecting good rains since the beginning of May. Planting of maize and most of the paddy is complete. Food production in 1998 will crucially depend on the rainfall situation in the coming, usually wet, months. Nevertheless, it is anticipated that production will be substantially below requirements for the next marketing year.