The first half of 2013 has seen an 8.4% drop in North Korean imports of Chinese grain, according to a new report published by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI).
Between January and June, North Korea imported approximately 124,228 tons of flour, rice and corn from its northern neighbor, compared to 135,648 tons for the same period of 2012.
Explaining the findings, KREI researcher Kwon Tae Jin told Yonhap, “Overall, import numbers indicate supply and demand of grain is very stable in North Korea.”
Earlier this month, Daily NK sources inside North Korea confirmed that food prices have reached their lowest point since the beginning of the year, partly as a result of the public distribution of wartime rice stocks.
