Snow blankets northern Saudi region of Al-Jouf    Syrian Air to resume operation between Damascus and Jeddah on Nov. 7 after a hiatus of 8 years    21,370 illegal residents arrested in a week    Bronze Age town discovered in Khaybar Oasis    New mechanism for reviewing taxi fares via applications    Harris and Trump in dead heat as Election Day nears    Spain flooding one of many global extreme weather disasters: UN weather agency    EU braces for potential shifts in transatlantic relations ahead of US presidential election    Israeli army nearing end of ground offensive in southern Lebanon, reports indicate    Al Hilal sets record for longest unbeaten streak across all domestic competitions    Al Nassr and Al Hilal share points in intense Riyadh Derby draw    Riyadh's Sports Boulevard receives Platinum ActiveScore certifications    ImpaQ: Riyadh to host first Impact Makers Forum in December    Saudi Arabia ranks 12th globally in international visitor spending in 2023    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    Saleh Al Shehri strike seals Al Ittihad's Sea Derby win over Al Ahli    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Six million North Koreans in critical need of food, FAO says
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 15 - 09 - 2011


North Korea is facing a food shortfall of up to
700,000 tons this year, placing some 6 million people - many of them
children - at risk of severe malnutrition, the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) said Thursday, according to dpa.
"More than 6 million vulnerable people are expected to face food
deficits if the current food insecurity problem continues," said
FAO Assistant Director General Hiroyuki Konuma, who visited North
Korea from Tuesday to Thursday.
North Korea's current food crisis is a spillover from 2010, when
the country suffered a 600,000-ton deficit of its staple foods -
rice, corn and potatoes - forcing the government to cut its
subsidized food rations from 570 grams per person per day to 370
grams, half the daily requirement.
The World Food Programme (WFP) in May issued an emergency appeal
for 310,000 tons in food aid, of which donors have pledged to supply
170,000 tons. Only 30,000 tons have been delivered.
The food shortages have led to severe malnutrition, especially
visible among North Korean children under the age of five.
"It is important to understand that even before this particularly
tough year, one-third of all children under five were malnourished or
stunted," WFP spokesman Marcus Prior said.
In August, because of lack of supplies, the WFP was only able to
reach 1 per cent of the children desperately in need of food aid.
It has since been able to increase its assistance because of the
arrival of food shipments, although commitments have fallen short for
their 209-million-dollar emergency operation.
"Our operation is only 30-per-cent funded at the moment," Prior
said. Major donors have included the European Union, Russia and South
Africa.
WFP acknowledged that the famine in Somalia had sidelined the
North Korean crisis.
"There is no doubt that at the moment the Horn of Africa is the
donor priority," Prior said.
North Korea, one of the world's last remaining communist
countries, is capable of producing only 4.3 million tons of food
crops per year, whereas the country's demand is 5.4 million tons.
The government had planned to buy at least 300,000 tons of corn
from China and India this year, but a doubling in world prices has
forced it to reduce imports to only 180,000 tons.
Unless donors step up, the FAO predicts the country will suffer a
food shortage in 2011 of 650,000 to 700,000 tons.
"And if this goes on we are afraid that next year a more severe
situation may happen," Konuma said.
The FAO recently launched a 5-million-dollar programme to improve
North Korea's food productivity but results will need years to take
root.


Clic here to read the story from its source.