ID :
45004
Tue, 02/10/2009 - 15:10
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/45004
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N. Korean leader urges greater fertilizer output amid shrinking aid
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has recently made two
consecutive public visits aimed at encouraging fertilizer production, in what
appears to be a sign of Pyongyang stepping up its self-sufficiency drive amid
dwindling international aid.
With the halting of decade-long rice and fertilizer aid from South Korea, North
Korea is expected to face a deeper need to invigorate its agricultural
production. This urgency was reflected in the regime's New Year's joint
editorial, which called for all-out efforts to "solve food problems by our own
efforts."
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said last Friday Kim has visited
the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex, followed by another reported visit on Sunday to
the Rakwon Machine Complex that supplies equipment for fertilizer production.
"In order to solve the food scarcity it is necessary to send a lot of fertilizers
to the countryside," Kim was quoted as saying during his trip to Hungnam.
North Korea increased its food production to 4.3 million metric tons in 2008, up
7 percent from the previous year thanks to improved weather conditions, according
to South Korea's state-run Rural Development Administration. But the country
still needs outside aid to feed a quarter of its 23 million population, according
to U.N. agencies.
South Korea suspended food and fertilizer aid after conservative President Lee
Myung-bak took office a year ago, adopting a tougher stance on North Korea. In
2007, Seoul provided 300,000 tons of fertilizer to the North.
Unification Ministry officials say North Korea needs 1.5 million tons of
fertilizer for its arable land. The amount of North Korea's own fertilizer
production is not known, they said.
In his latest visits, the North Korean leader stressed the need for a "creative"
production process called "coal gasification." The process converts coal from a
solid to a gaseous state that is similar to natural gas, and can be converted to
ammonia and used to make fertilizer, experts say.
The method is not widely used, but North Korea has rich deposits of coal and
would otherwise have to import natural gas, they said. Ha Byung-yun, a Ph.D in
Namhae Chemical, one of the largest fertilizer producers in South Korea, said,
"The method sounds feasible but it's very rarely done."
The new gasification process "is a bold and creative initiative reflecting the
urgent requirement of the developing agriculture in the country," Kim said during
his visit to the Hungnam fertilizer complex.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has recently made two
consecutive public visits aimed at encouraging fertilizer production, in what
appears to be a sign of Pyongyang stepping up its self-sufficiency drive amid
dwindling international aid.
With the halting of decade-long rice and fertilizer aid from South Korea, North
Korea is expected to face a deeper need to invigorate its agricultural
production. This urgency was reflected in the regime's New Year's joint
editorial, which called for all-out efforts to "solve food problems by our own
efforts."
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said last Friday Kim has visited
the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex, followed by another reported visit on Sunday to
the Rakwon Machine Complex that supplies equipment for fertilizer production.
"In order to solve the food scarcity it is necessary to send a lot of fertilizers
to the countryside," Kim was quoted as saying during his trip to Hungnam.
North Korea increased its food production to 4.3 million metric tons in 2008, up
7 percent from the previous year thanks to improved weather conditions, according
to South Korea's state-run Rural Development Administration. But the country
still needs outside aid to feed a quarter of its 23 million population, according
to U.N. agencies.
South Korea suspended food and fertilizer aid after conservative President Lee
Myung-bak took office a year ago, adopting a tougher stance on North Korea. In
2007, Seoul provided 300,000 tons of fertilizer to the North.
Unification Ministry officials say North Korea needs 1.5 million tons of
fertilizer for its arable land. The amount of North Korea's own fertilizer
production is not known, they said.
In his latest visits, the North Korean leader stressed the need for a "creative"
production process called "coal gasification." The process converts coal from a
solid to a gaseous state that is similar to natural gas, and can be converted to
ammonia and used to make fertilizer, experts say.
The method is not widely used, but North Korea has rich deposits of coal and
would otherwise have to import natural gas, they said. Ha Byung-yun, a Ph.D in
Namhae Chemical, one of the largest fertilizer producers in South Korea, said,
"The method sounds feasible but it's very rarely done."
The new gasification process "is a bold and creative initiative reflecting the
urgent requirement of the developing agriculture in the country," Kim said during
his visit to the Hungnam fertilizer complex.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
