North Korean delegation arrives in Russia for talks on food security

A North Korean delegation headed by a senior agricultural official has arrived in Russia as part of ongoing talks between the two countries, Reuters reports.

North Korea is trying to solve the problem of constant food shortages.

At a meeting of the ruling party in December, the North Korean leader devoted a significant part of his speech to the need to increase agricultural productivity, calling for the modernization of agricultural machinery and the improvement of the irrigation system.

North Korea’s main crops are rice and potatoes. Farmland covers 17% of the country’s territory. As of 2012, almost a quarter of the working population was employed in agriculture.

The country has a state food distribution system (rationing system).

Tags: Russia, North Korea, food security, agricultural sector