North Korea is facing a severe food crisis with prices of essential commodities shooting through the roof.
In a meeting of the central committee of the country’s ruling party, North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un said the food situation is “tensed”, as per state-run news agency KCNA.
“The people’s food situation is now getting tense as the agricultural sector failed to fulfil its grain production plan due to the damage by typhoon last year,” Kim said.
As per reports, prices of essential food items have skyrocketed in country’s capital Pyongyang, with a kg of bananas selling for $45 (about Rs 3,335), a packet of black tea for $70 (about Rs 5,190) and a packet of coffee for $100 (Rs 7,414).
In the meeting, Kim asked the party workers to work for resolving the food shortage. However, it is unclear how North Korea can quickly tackle the issue as the country’s borders remain closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
As per a recent report by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, North Korea is short of 8,60,000 tonnes of food.
While North Korea has not officially confirmed any COVID-19 cases, it has imposed strict anti-virus measures including border closures and domestic travel restrictions. The country relies on China for many items which it cannot produce, including food and fuel.
