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"More Serious Food Shortage Expected Next Year", says Ministry of Agriculture
It is anticipated that food shortage will be worse next year. This anticipation arose on October 1 after the estimation of this year's combined harvests from the bread basket regions in South and North Hwanghae Provinces as well as South and North Pyongan Provinces. The Ministry of Agriculture says that this year's crop harvest should be managed properly at all costs in order to avoid a food crisis next year. Accordingly, the farm officials and workers are putting all their efforts into finding ways to ensure military provisions and distribution for farmers. In the meantime, upon receiving the reports on the estimation, the Central Party seems to be on the alert to secure grains. It opened the customs offices along the border areas and instructed trading companies, "Find new sources of foreign trade in order to develop and increase ways to acquire as much grain as possible."
North Hwanghae Province Expects Corn Harvest Less Than Half of Last Year's
This year's grain harvests in North Hwanghae Province are anticipated to be poor because of severe drought and flood damages. Local farm officials estimate that this year's corn harvest will be less than half of last year's. The counties of Seoheung, Bongsan, and Shingye in North Hwanghae Province suffered the most from the recent food shortage. Because of the insufficient food distribution last year, many families already ran out of food by the end of February this year. Consequently, early this spring, many families survived on porridge of crushed corn. Many people were absent for work and stayed home because they were not strong enough to move around.
Farmers planted potato, wheat, and barley seeds at the end of April and started harvesting after the mid-June. However, the farmers were left with little harvest because military units nearby took everything away including two-crop harvests. They were told that soldiers need more food because of last year's insufficient military provisions. Under this dire food shortage situation, some people suffered from lingering illnesses and died during the 150-day battle. Many residents surviving on porridge died as well. The number of deaths was especially high in Seoheung, Bongsan and Shingye where five to ten deaths a month occurred between April and early July. Doctors could identify the cause of the deaths but it might as well be called `a starvation death.' Large families went up to the mountains to collect various grasses, such as sow thistle, Asian plantain, or mulberry tree sprouts to make porridge. However, many did not properly boil these grasses so they suffered from swollen faces and arms, cracked skin or chaps due to the poisonous effects of the grasses. Women seem to suffer more than men probably because women feed the children and eat only the grass portions while the husbands eat the grass with corn powder.
As a hard life continues for two years due to food shortages, it is easily noticeable these days that many Hwanghae residents, who are traditionally good-natured, express their anger. Jung Eunsoon (alias) of Seoheung County complained with frustration, "From spring to fall, many families can barely survive on thin porridge. It seems that this year's harvest will be poor and our fall crop distribution will be even less. Are we supposed to barely survive on porridge next year as well? How can we feed ourselves enough to work? When will we be free of food shortage and be worry-free?" As of September, many families are still surviving on porridge. Fortunately, starting from early fall, we will have something to cook. Luckily, nobody will become sick or die because of hunger as in May or June.
In the meantime, the security system for grain was strengthened in many farming areas in North Hwanghae Province including Seoheung County because the number of grain theft arrests has been skyrocketed in those areas. However, it becomes very difficult to punish the thieves because of their miserable situations. If you closely look at the homes of the thieves, you will find that one or two family members are in bed due to long starvation and that grasses are boiling in the cooking pots. Accordingly, instead of imposing criminal punishments, the authorities decided to deduct five times the amount of grain stolen from the food distribution they will get at the General Residents' Meeting in the fall.
A worker in his forties at a Seoheung County farm complained with bitterness, "Miserable sights of people suffering from hunger make me feel that the so-called `strong and prosperous' nation will not open in 2012. Even if it somehow does open, it will not bring any benefit to an ordinary person like me. While farmers suffer from hunger, those with any kind of titles – the officials of the Party and the Management Committee, heads of work units, or leaders of work subunits – live in abundance. The leaders and officials do not have to suffer from hunger because they somehow stash grains away. The farmers in Seoheung County received only less than five months worth of grain last year. With the grain sales money, the County farm, however, bought a computer and built The Office of Research on the Revolutionary Ideology of Our Great Leader Kim lI Sung.
While farmers sweat profusely from the work during the summer months, the Management leaders pursue their own benefits. Last year, some elderly residents over sixty went to the Party and the Farm Management Committee and requested they should be helped first because they are the `sufferers from hunger.' However, the Party and the Committee simply ignored and even retaliated by reducing food distribution, assigning tough tasks, and maltreating them. The elderly also let off their anger saying, "It is well known that spring is the hardest time of the year for farmers. However, the Party made a big fuss over constructing the mushroom cultivation facility. That is how they exploited the farmers."
