Kim says N Korea must meet grain production goals

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged government officials to make sure the country meets its grain production goals “without fail”, state media said Thursday, amid reports Pyongyang’s food shortage is worsening.

The isolated, nuclear-armed nation -- which is under multiple sets of sanctions over its weapons programmes -- has long struggled to feed itself.

North Korea has also been under a rigid self-imposed coronavirus blockade since early 2020 to protect itself from the Covid-19 pandemic, only resuming some trade with China last year.

Kim “called for attaining this year’s grain production goal without fail”, on Wednesday, the last day of a key meeting by the ruling party, reports the KCNA.

“In order to increase the nationwide agricultural output, attention should be paid to overcoming the lopsidedness in the guidance on farming ... and it is important to concentrate on increasing the per-hectare yield at all the farms.”