Among Asian states,
North Korean food security is only better than that of Afghanistan, a
new survey has claimed. The ranking is contained in “Food Security Evaluation
2014,” published on July 14th by
the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
According to Radio
Free Asia (RFA), the report notes that North
Korean nutritional consumption does not even reach
half of the UN recommended amount, making it among the lowest in Asia. Moreover, “Seven out of ten people in North Korea do not take in the
recommended nutritional amount.”
It went on to assert
that the reason is insufficient policy and a distorted economic system, as well
as “shortages of fertilizer, fuel, and farming equipment.”
The report analyzed food situations in 76 countries in the world and evaluated them
under three categories: levels of hunger, nutritional intake, and numbers suffering from food
shortages. The report is used as a reference when the U.S. government decides
global food assistance programs.
The UN recommends
consumption of 2100 calories per day to maintain health.
