SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an agricultural production reform during a meeting on Monday with ruling party officials, state media reported on Tuesday, amid fears that the country’s food shortage is worsening.
Kim said hitting grain production targets this year was a top priority and emphasized the importance of stable agriculture production during the second day of the seventh enlarged plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, according to state news agency KCNA.
His remark comes amid growing food shortage woes in the country.
Earlier this month, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said the food situation in the North “seemed to have deteriorated.”
The ministry said at that time that it was rare for North Korea to announce a special meeting on agriculture strategy which was slated for late February.
In his address at Monday’s meeting, KCNA said Kim mentioned the “importance of the growth of the agricultural productive forces” in ensuring socialist construction.
North Korea is under strict international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Sandra Maler)
