Livestock in North Korea, creating new opportunities for the Netherlands? (I)
On June 12, the US-North Korea Summit of the century will take place in Singapore. As known, in exchange for the denuclearization that the US and the rest of the world demand, North Korea is eager for economic growth. The most urgent task for the North Korean economy is to solve the food problem. Therefore international cooperation on agriculture and livestock is essential for development of the North Korean economy.
Pyeongbuk varkensboerderij
Monthly Chuksan, magazine on livestock in South Korea published a column on North Korea's livestock industry : “The possibility of creating new opportunities for the South Korean livestock industry.” With permission of the magazine, we hereby summarize and share the column.
Part I.
The North Korean livestock industry is attempting a new direction in its livestock policy as grain feed is not guaranteed due to economic difficulties. It aims at modernization of the livestock industry focusing on grass-eating animals and its production.
Recently, North Korea has been pushing for a policy of agricultural and livestock complexes to resolve the food issue. In other words, the government has introduced a “ring-type circular production" system in which the livestock industry and agriculture are combined, rather than agricultural-focused, to resolve the food issue. To this end, policies such as the deployment and production by regional conditions as well as the introduction of advanced technological achievements are given priority.
Collective farms, 3,000 throughout the country
The North Korean livestock industry is largely categorized as state livestock / joint livestock by collective farm / private livestock.
Through industrialization and intensification of the production process, North Korea intends to increase livestock production and improve economic efficiency in areas around the city. Under the principle that production areas must be accessible for consumers, state livestock farms are concentrated around urban and labor zones.
On the other hand, collective farms are less developed compared to state livestock in terms of the level of production and technology/equipment. Therefore, they raise a large number of herbivores(grass-eating livestock) in mountainous areas for feeding from nature, not in the city areas.
In North Korea, state-owned livestock occupies 12 % of the total land area and more than 20 % of the production volume, and it has been industrialized and concentrated by the deployment of (farm)engineers and the introduction of intensive breeding methods. There are about 31 chicken / duck / pig / cattle establishments under the Ministry of Agriculture. In addition, there are about 162 farms under the provincial Rural Farming Committee and 400 farms under the regional Collective Farms Committee. The number of such collective farms is estimated at 3,000 nationwide.
Series on North Korea(Part II. on “Lacking feed causes increasing number of grass-eating livestock” and “Death penalty for slaughtering cattle without approval”) will follow soon.