Rice prices in North Korea’s markets, after posting a decline earlier this month, are said to
be back on the rise. Rice threshing is now over, but the amount of grain
rendered useless from this year’s drought is
significant, trimming the volume of rice in circulation and affecting the
prices, according to a local source.
“On most collective farms, the harvest has decreased
compared to last year,” a source based in North Hamkyung Province told the
Daily NK on Tuesday. “In Hwanghae and Pyongan Provinces, the breadbaskets of the
North, a lot of grain heads were empty, and with corn, a lot of it had to be
tossed because it dried out during the summer drought.“
The prolonged drought, plaguing the nation since spring of
this year, has drained reservoirs to the point of exposing their floors, and
hydroelectric power plants have been repeatedly halted. North Korean residents,
despite mobilization for a “battle against water shortage,” were unable to
restore water levels at reservoirs, leading to widespread damages.
The amount of rainfall in the North in August, a period
critical to crop production, stood at 89.6㎜, much lower than the average 199.2㎜, according to Korea
Meteorological Administration in the South. In particular, the provinces of
South Pyongan and South Hwanghae saw less than 30 percent of their average
precipitation in that month. Most areas in the North also received less than 40
to 50 percent of their annual rainfall in the months of September and October.
“The rice prices dropped briefly in the markets, as freshly
harvested rice was released earlier in the month,” the source asserted. “But
what used to trade for 4,800-5,000 KPW [0.58-0.60 USD] has now jumped by more than 500 KPW [0.60 USD] to
5,600 KPW [0.67 USD].”
He went on to explain that local officials with the Ministry of People’s Security [MPS] are now setting up “food checkpoints” to make sure
grains are not leaking out to other areas. “Among the vehicles, if there are
any carrying loads of grain, officials are confiscating the products without
question,” he said.
However, this surveillance has yet to extend to individuals
carrying 50-100kg of rice on their backs, allowing merchants to transport the
grains via train and release it in the markets. If authorities crack down on
this practice as well, the source speculated a jump in rice prices to be
inevitable.
Another factor contributing to the price hike is beefed up
surveillance on border smugglers. The closing of a railroad bridge connecting
the North and China over the Yalu River for repairs has also added to the pinch
on rice, the source explained.
“Since last week, the railroad bridge connecting trade
between the North and China has been under maintenance, so nothing has been
coming through,” a source based in Sinuiju reported. “They say construction
will go on for roughly ten days, but we don’t know when it will wrap up, so
there is a high possibility of rice prices increasing.”
Residents, concerned about these changes are asking, “What
if this makes next year an even worse year of hardship,” pointing out, “If only
they would distribute the land to the farmers, we wouldn’t have to worry about
rice.”
