FAO says North Korea would need minimum 1 million tons of food aid

Posted on : 2006-12-02 16:20 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST

North Korea completed its crop harvest, and results suggest the country will need at least 1 million tons of food aid from the outside, according to a report released Thursday by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In "Crop Prospects and Food Situation," the fourth such report put out by the FAO, North Korea was categorized as a nation with widespread lack of access to food.

"The 2006 cereal output is estimated lower than in the previous year, reflecting floods in July and October in parts of the country," said the report.

"The total cereal import requirement in 2006/2007, including commercial imports and food aid, is expected to be at least 1 million tons."

The 2006 harvest season was completed in October, the report said, but food rations for millions of people will remain reduced as a result of a suspension of food aid.

South Korea, on the other hand, was expected to have 3 million tons in cereal stock in 2007, slightly up from 2.8 million tons this year.

Washington, Dec. 1 (Yonhap News)