Ryanggang province’s agricultural management committee has informed all farms that the government will not adjust their allotted crop quotas for the upcoming fall harvest. The directive was issued in early September through subordinate committees in each city and county, reaching individual farms throughout the province.<\/p>\n
The committee stressed that these orders came from the highest levels of authority, and insisted that the distribution and collection of the harvest in Ryanggang province would proceed as planned without any quota reductions, regardless of actual crop yields.<\/p>\n
“The orders are aimed at preventing farms that are struggling to meet quota due to natural disasters and other challenges from asking for an adjustment before the harvest,” a source in the province told The Daily NK on Monday. “It is also aimed at ensuring that the government receives its planned quota even if the harvest is small.”<\/p>\n
The source said farm managers in several cities and counties have already appealed for a quota adjustment due to crop damage caused by natural disasters, including heavy rains and flooding this summer.<\/p>\n
Ignoring those appeals, the provincial farm management committee said farms must provide the government with their allotted quota, even if that means distributing less to workers and setting aside less feed for animals.<\/p>\n
In addition to emphasizing the government quota, city and county agricultural management committees told farms to set aside the government quota and seed grain for the next planting before distributing the remainder to farm workers. North Korean farms face a chronic shortage of seed grain, which is needed to ensure stable agricultural production.<\/p>\n
City and county farm management committees ordered farmers to make a thorough accounting of unregistered fields and to be “diligent in small things” to meet the government quota. The committees also encouraged farmers to show their patriotism by working hard to exceed this year’s quota.<\/p>\n
The committees noted that some farmers are misreporting their crops so they can set aside more food for themselves, and warned that prosecutors would be assigned to investigate such behavior. During the fall harvest, many farmers are desperate to keep enough of their crops to pay back money they borrowed in the spring to buy seed grain and other needed materials.<\/p>\n
City and county farm management committees observed that farm managers were more likely than ordinary workers to take a share of the harvest for themselves, and warned that anyone caught doing so would be severely punished.<\/p>\n
“The organizations that supervise farm labor tend to put government quotas ahead of the practical difficulties faced by farms. This attitude is causing discontent among farm managers and workers,” the source said.<\/p>\n