Yanji, China — Since North Korea’s rice prices have been skyrocketing, the North Korean authorities have been distributing “No.2 rice,” rice stored for military use, to military families and some cadres.
A source from North Hamkyung Province said in a telephone interview with Daily NK on the 29th, “Families of the Border Guard Brigade in Chongjin and of the People’s Committee in North Hamkyung Province have been provided with No. 2 rice. Families of the workers at the Ranam Mine Machine Factory producing rockets have also received the rice.”
The source added, “However, there is no food distribution for ordinary civilians and the difficulties of those residents are ongoing due to rises in food prices.”
A source from Yangkang Province reported on the 28th that “The authorities distributed Chinese corn and No.2 rice to the affiliates of the Party in Yankang Province, the provincial Security Agency, the Safety Agency and the workers of the No. 95 Munitions Factory. The cadres’ families are selling the distributed rice in the jangmadang (markets) and buying rice of good quality, because the No. 2 rice contains lots of sand and many grains of unpolished rice.”
Regarding the current food prices, the source in North Hamkyung Province said that “In Hoiryeong, rice produced in North Korea sells for around 2,350 North Korean won and corn has risen to 1,100 won. Life is quite hard as a consequence of continually-increasing rice prices.”
The Yankang Province source said, “The rice sells for 1,800~2,000 in Hyesan. As far as I know, it is the most expensive price for rice in this province. The price in inland areas is much higher than in Yangkang Province, a border area, even though the cultivation of rice is impossible in Yangkang Province. Therefore, rice in Yangkang Province is flowing into inland areas.
He explained the reason, “This is because smugglers in border regions are bringing rice from China, to profit from the rising prices.”
The source also said that “A manager of the No.2 rice for the Food Policy Department in the city said that, since 1998, they have been saving rice for military provisions, so now the total amount of No. 2 rice in the country is more than one year’s provisions for the whole military. Therefore, if the authorities released the No. 2 rice, even for a few months, they could prevent starvation.”
The source from North Hamkyung Province reported that “If the rice price rose steeply one day, on the next day a lot of rice would be released in the jangmadang and the price would decrease by 100 won. Many citizens complain that someone is manipulating the rice price when we are really struggling just to get by.”
“When the rice price is constantly increasing, it results in people buying rice in order to make money. People buy rice, wait for the price to rise and then they sell it again for a higher price. Then they are buying corn and potatoes, which are much cheaper than rice, with the profits,” said the source. He explained that this way of making a profit amid the food shortages is stirring up the rapidly increasing rice price.
Nevertheless, he added that “Most citizens experienced the March of Tribulation in the late 1980s, so they are generally coping with rising food prices. Many people can find their own ways of surviving.”
