FAO appeals for funding to boost agricultural production in Korea DPR
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FAO has appealed to the international community to fund six projects - with a total value of more than US$14 million - to help DPRK restore and enhance its ability to produce enough food for its people after three years of poor agricultural production. The projects cover increasing agricultural output and diversification by double cropping, restoring irrigation systems, rehabilitating irrigation canals, increasing cereal production and assistance with rice and vegetable cultivation.
An important double-cropping programme just launched by the government aims to help farmers increase output of cereals and other food crops, in order to reduce the need for food aid. Through its Special Relief Operations Service, FAO has contributed to the supply of agricultural inputs and technical assistance for coordinating and monitoring the programme.
Cereal double cropping involves planting spring barley from March to June, before planting the main summer crops of rice and maize. Some 50 000 hectares are to be sown with spring barley, of which 32 700 hectares have been planted with inputs provided by the international community.
So far, donors have provided more than 6 000 tonnes of barley seed, and some 1 800 tonnes of fertilizer were delivered by the end of March with the assistance of FAO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
28 April 1997
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