KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF * (11 September)
On 5 August, torrential rains exacerbated by strong winds and high tides, triggered floods and landslides across the western provinces of South Pyongan and South Hwanghae. An estimated 60 000 people were affected but there was reportedly no loss of life. Extensive damage was caused to infrastructure and to houses in areas susceptible to flooding. The affected regions are important cereal producers, but the damage to crops is expected to be only moderate to light. In early September, typhoon Rusa, which devastated parts of the Korean peninsula, destroyed infrastructure and flooded paddy fields in the coastal areas of the eastern Kangwon Province.
An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission which visited the country in June 2002 found that despite an increase in the 2001/02 food production, local supplies remain well below domestic consumption requirement, leaving a cereal import gap of 1.3 million tonnes including 0.6 million tonnes of emergency food aid. Only part of this requirement has been met by donor pledges, and WFP requires an additional 98 000 tonnes of emergency food relief to implement its operations until the end of the year.
Harvesting of the 2002 main season crops of rice, maize and potatoes is underway. The early outlook for the harvest is favourable. Planting was timely and the area planted was larger than the previous year, while precipitation has been about normal in most growing areas. An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission is presently in the country to make an on-the-spot assessment of the harvest outcome and make a forecast of the food supply situation for the 2002/03 marketing year (November/October).