Roughly half of North Korea’s population
will face food shortages in the year 2025 due to an imbalance in state rations,
according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
An annual report on food safety around the
world revealed, “Given the food shortage that 17 million North Koreans
currently face, although conditions will improve, it will not resolve the lack
of supply,” according to Washington-based Voice of America (VOA) on the 23rd.
The report issued by a USDA economic
research institute explained “income inequality” and “uneven distribution” will
continue to prolong the shortage in food supply.
An average North Korean is unable to
consume even 2,100 kcal a day, which is much lower than the average in Asia
that stands at 2,500 kcal, according to the report. The report added, “The
North’s chronic food shortage is due to structural problems.”
The study showed the food distribution gap
in 2025 will decrease to 140,000 tons from the current 235,000. The discrepancy
is shrinking, but in order for North Koreans to consume the UN-recommended
2,100 kcal a day, the country needs roughly 140,000 tons more in supply.
USDA researcher Stacy Rosen, who wrote the
report, told VOA, “Our results from this year’s analysis once again show that
North Korea has zero nutritional gaps through the projection period. In other
words, at the national level, we project that there is enough food to meet the
nutritional target.” Despite this she added that the 13 million in the lower
income bracket will still not have enough to consume more than 2,100kcal a day
and will be short on food.
