From the Joong Ang Daily:
Seoul and Pyongyang have held annual symposiums on agricultural science since 2000, through which South Korean scientists and officials provide agricultural technology and expertise, with a focus on potato farming, they said.
“If North Korea is able to produce and distribute seed potatoes and learn to effectively control harmful insects, it should be able to produce between 3.3 million and 4.25 million tons of potatoes annually,” Lee added.
A North Korean official attending the inter-Korean symposium said his country’s potato harvest was expected to increase from 2 million tons last year to 3 million tons in 2009.
These efforts are well-intentioned and might help in the short run, but North Korea’s climate and geography are not conducive to agricultural abundance. The DPRK would be better off in the long run producing the goods and services in which it is competitive and trading them internationally for food.
Read the ful article here:
North Korea is expecting 3-ton potato harvest
Joong Ang Daily
12/22/2008