Yanji, China — Due to an increase in food prices in North Korea’s markets, North Korea’s low-income citizens have been turning to low-cost grains or alternate food items.
In a phone interview with the Daily NK, an inside North Korean source said on the 21st, “Recently, near the Kilju region in North Hamkyung Province, merchants have been scouring farms in order to buy potato scraps.”
Potato scraps refer to the fibrous part of a raw potato, after the starch as been removed through grinding. The rest of the residual materials, apart from the 10% of starch, are called scraps. According to defectors, over 80% of it is fibers and while not high in nutrition, it leaves a sensation of being full for a long time due to its indigestible nature.
For citizens of Yangkang Province who usually plant potatoes, they sell the expensive starchy part of potatoes and use the rest as alternative food. The potato scraps can be eaten by being made into noodles or can be mixed with corn, flour, or starch to make glutinous cakes.
According to the source, “With the recent skyrocketing in food prices, people without money have been depending heavily on the potato scraps. Recently, a kilogram of the scraps has been selling for 500 won and noodles made from them have been selling for 600 won.” (One dollar is approximately 3,500 North Korean won lately.)
The source said, “A lot of people have been crowding to inexpensive food items, such as corn and potato. In Yangkang Province, potato and potato scraps are in demand, but spring vegetables such as spinach have been coming in from the inland area.”
The source expressed, “Merchants from the Kilju region gather potatoes and scraps around rural areas in Yangkang Province. These are processed into noodles in Kilju and distributed throughout the country.”
The source said, “The price of rice has been so expensive lately that people have been changing their staple item to corn. Those who cannot afford to buy even corn eat the scraps or porridge made from mixing bean-curd soup and vegetables.”
Further, he relayed, “According to rumors circulating in the markets, Americans have worsened the state of affairs vis-à-vis Taiwan and South Korea and are trying to destroy the Olympics in China. However, North Korea has been solidly standing by in the middle, so the Chinese administration has been giving us food as a token of gratitude. With an increase in such news, the rise in the price of rice has been stymied by China’s aid.”
