North Koreans are likely to face serious food shortages despite recent relief from an intense dry spell, officials from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization told CNBC.
Rainfall this year was "considerably lower" than a corresponding period in 2001, when cereal production in the communist dictatorship plunged to record lows, the UN said in a July report.
The worst dry conditions, which ran from April to June, could threaten this year's overall agricultural yield and exacerbate food shortages in the country. According to the report, potato and soybeans and cereals comprise the main source of nutrition for North Korea's population.
"They are facing a very bad harvest. And with the latest sanctions, [Kim] won't be able to pay in credit for his oil imports anymore." Mark Matthews, head of research for Asia, Julius Baer told.
Rainfall has improved over large parts of the country since August, but the shift in precipitation will be insufficient to reverse the adverse effects of the drought, said Mario Zappacosta, senior economist at the UN.
North Korea's overall yields for the 2017 "main season" crops — those harvested around September and October — are expected to fall compared with 2016, Zappacosta added. It's not yet possible to determine how much, however.
Source: cnbc.com
