More residents turn to pig farming as sideline

It’s time for another round of “Market
Trends”, where we discuss North Korea’s economic situation. Today, we will be
taking a look at the livestock industry, which is gaining awareness as a stable
source of income in the North. We’d like to delve into the specifics concerning
how pigs are raised, sold, and distributed with Reporter Song Seol Ah. Ms. Seol, we understand that the number of people raising pigs is on the rise? 

North Koreans traditionally raised
livestock as a means of living, but the number of individuals raising pigs for
secondary income is increasing. It’s even referred to as “contract work” in the
North. Nowadays, working in the jangmadang is as natural as one receiving a name
at birth. Therefore, raising livestock acts mostly as supplemental income.
There are, however, people who have made raising pigs their primary trade in the
market.
 

Even as recent as 1980, raising livestock
was a means of putting food on the table, but recently, the industry has become
both privatized and specialized. I think it’d also be pertinent to discuss how
livestock feed has become a problem in North Korea.
 

So, raising pigs has become both a primary
and secondary trade for many North Koreans. I would venture a guess that there
are differences between the donju (new affluent middle class) and regular citizens in
this industry?
 

There sure are. The method in which donju
raise livestock is quite different. The necessary facilities to raise pigs–kitchen, corridor, storage, pigstys, etc.–are built and the pigs are
sold once every four months. Piglets are moved to the pigsty once they reach 30
kg in weight. They are moved again once they reach 50 kg. Selling the pigs in
this fashion affords a large payday every four months. The livestock business
is much more stable and several times more profitable than wholesale
distribution, which is widely recognized as a solid source of income. However,
because of the tremendous amount of capital needed to get the business off its
feet, only the donju are capable of raising pigs in this manner.
 

On the other end of the spectrum, we have
the regular citizens, who don’t exactly have exceptional business know-how.
Usually, they can raise one to two pigs at a time either underneath their
floorboards or in a dug-out on their property. Most have to borrow money to
purchase the piglets in the first place. Some say they feel more attached to
their piglets than even their own children. The biggest obstacle here is
livestock feed. The cost for the amount of feed a single pig eats is equal to a
single family member. This is why many who raise pigs have a moonshine business
on the side. 100 kg or so of corn can be turned into liquor, which is then sold
to purchase food for the family. The dregs of the liquor can be used in pig
feed as well. After around eight to ten months, the pigs can be sold for a
profit.
 

If the donju are raising pigs in higher
volumes, where do they acquire the necessary feed?
 

For the most part, they use the liquor
dregs to make feed just like the poor citizens do. Most donju have contracts in
place with a few different restaurants where they purchase the water used to
wash rice or they buy up the leftovers from provision factories in bulk. Just
because they are donju doesn’t mean they don’t work. I think it’s fair to say
the donju probably never rest and toil endlessly like everyone else. Even their
family members chip in.
 

I’m referring to the husband here. No
matter how important working at the state factory is, they have their part in
the livestock venture as well. In the morning before going to work, they place
the bags full of corn, used to make liquor, in the mill and in the evening,
load the bags of flour on their bikes and head home. The husband is also
primarily responsible for cleaning the pigsty. The wife usually brews the
liquor while the children feed the pigs. It’s like a family full of ranch
hands.
 

Wow, this type of business is a total
family affair. Could you give us the details on how liquor dregs are used to
make livestock feed?
 

If the dregs leftover from brewing liquor
are thin, they can be poured right into the trough piping hot. If not, they can
be thinned in hot water and served. It’s also great for the pigs, because they
get drunk off the liquor and sleep well at night.
 

From the wife’s perspective, no matter how much her husband enjoys drinking, buying expensive liquor is easier said than done. One
bottle of liquor is about the same cost as 2 kg of corn. Brewing one’s own
liquor at home is quite frugal. Some people even sell their liquor at the market.
 

So, I’m curious then. If one wants to
produce liquor, they need grain. I would guess that the cadres have strict
control over that, no?
 

You’re correct. Provisions are so precious
in North Korea that food policy is a part of politics. Of course, there are
severe crackdowns on bootleg liquor. People avoid these crackdowns through
sheer creativity. The liquor is not stored in jars, but instead in a large
plastic bag which is then hung in a dresser for around two weeks, while it
ferments. Forget law enforcement, even Kim Seon Dal (subject of a fable about a
famous swindler from Pyongyang) wouldn’t imagine it was liquor in the bag.
 

However, as the holiday season approaches,
local security begins earning extra money under the pretext of moonshine
manufacturing crackdowns. Though doors are shut while brewing, the smell from the
liquor can escape via the cooling unit. This is why crackdowns are conducted on
location. Security can be bribed with “Cat cigarettes,” but if that doesn’t
work, the liquor is confiscated and thrown out.
 

It seems like using liquor to make
livestock feed is a very difficult process for most people.
 

It is. To offset this, human
excrement is also used as feed. This method first began in the farming areas
around North Korea. But, nowadays, it’s quite common in cities as well. Houses
with a separate toilet give the family’s waste right to the pigs. It’s that
important to be frugal about purchasing feed. Houses without a toilet use the
waste from village public bathrooms. Because waste from public bathrooms is old
and decomposed, it must be boiled before being given to the pigs.

Goat’s milk can also be used to make feed.
After the milk is diluted in water, it is combined with weeds and boiled. Pigs
eat this type of feed much easier than the liquor dregs, and they grow faster.
Pigs that eat goat’s milk feed look healthy, but the meat has a lasting stench
that prevents it from selling well at the market. Merchants know they will lose
customers if they continue selling this type of pork, so alternate feed is much
preferred. 

Finally, there are lots of cases were
people develop pinworms from eating pork from pigs that consumed human
excrement. It gets even worse because most don’t take anthelmintics
[group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other
internal parasites from the body] to combat it. Before pork distributors
purchase a pig whole, they ask what kind of feed it was raised on. Pigs which
consumed human waste or goat’s milk go for a lower price, while those raised on
liquor dregs go for market value. Those raised on grain feed are the most
expensive because the meat is sweet.
 

Looking at how pork prices are
discriminated based on feed, it appears that the North Korean market system is
continuing to evolve quite nicely. We will close today’s “Market Trends” with
our price breakdown.
 

The price of 1 kg of rice was 5,100 KPW in
Pyongyang, 5,020 KPW in Sinuiju, and 4,900 KPW in Hyesan. The cost of 1 kg of
corn kernels was 2,060 KPW in Pyongyang, 2,130 KPW in Sinuiju, and 2,100 KPW in
Hyesan.
 

The USD was trading at 8,130 KPW in
Pyongyang, 8,160 KPW in Sinuiju, and 8,055 KPW in Hyesan. The Renminbi was
trading at 1,280 KPW in Pyongyang, 1,270 KPW Sinuiju, and 1,274 KPW in Hyesan –
mostly similar to last week.
 

Moving along, 1 kg of pork was selling at
13,100 KPW in Pyongyang, 13,300 KPW in Sinuiju, and 12,850 KPW in Hyesan.
Gasoline was trading at 10,600 KPW per kg in Pyongyang, 10,500 KPW in Sinuiju,
and 10,600 KPW in Hyesan. Finally, 1 kg of diesel fuel was selling at 6,350 KPW
in Pyongyang, 6,500 KPW in Sinuiju, and 6,400 KPW in Hyesan.
 *

*This segment reflects market conditions for the week of April 18-22.