North Korea called on its people Monday to focus on rice transplanting to meet this year's grain targets, state media reported, as food shortages persist.
North Korea's state media reported Monday that the country is pushing to complete rice transplanting on schedule to achieve annual grain production goals. The Rodong Sinmun, the main newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, issued an editorial urging citizens to "concentrate all efforts on rice transplanting and completing it in a timely manner."
The editorial described the work as a key step toward fulfilling directives from the party's congress in February. It referenced leader Kim Jong-un's priority that "the most urgent job facing us is to resolve people's food problems by farming the land well."
Rice farming in North Korea usually starts in mid-March, with transplanting ending by late May or early June. The country often deploys soldiers and students to support civilian workers during this period.
