Food shortages in North Korea are projected to be 860,000 tons, says CIA

United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released data on Tuesday which suggests that North Korea is in desperate need of food imports, as many of its citizens continue to suffer from food shortages and hunger. The shortfall is estimated to be 860,000 tons. The data was uploaded to the online World Factbook of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. It stated that the country's food gap is comparable to two to three months of food consumption, with the problems worsening in the midst of economic limitations due to the country's ongoing military struggle.

As per the reports of Yonhap News, it was also stated that a considerable percentage of the country's population suffers from low levels of food intake and very poor dietary diversity due to low food consumption levels and economic slump. The population's vulnerability to food insecurity has increased as a result of economic restrictions, notably as a result of the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was announced that households in the country may face a hungry period if it is not fully filled through commercial imports or food help.

COVID situation in North Korea

In early 2020, the North established strict border controls in response to the pandemic. After confessing to a viral outbreak earlier this month, it even imposed statewide lockdowns. Since declaring a state of emergency and instituting a statewide lockdown, the North has been fighting an unprecedented COVID outbreak, raising concerns about a scarcity of vaccines, medical supplies and food. However, North Korea has relaxed restrictions in the capital Pyongyang, as the isolated government claims the virus issue is now under control, according to media reports.

Because of a shortage of testing supplies, North Korea has yet to confirm the overall number of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Experts believe that the disclosed figures may be underreported, according to media reports. The North's population was estimated by the CIA to be 25.96 million people this year, with 3.13 million people or 12% of the total, living in Pyongyang, the capital of the country. The report suggests that a person's average life expectancy in the country is 71.77 years.

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