• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Heavy Rains Throws Shadow over Prospect of Agricultural Production

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

   Pyongyang, August 15 (KCNA) -- Unprecedented torrential rains have poured down in the DPRK for days in succession from August 7, throwing a shadow over prospect of the agricultural production.
    It is hard to expect a high grain output owing to the uninterrupted rainstorms at the most important time for the growth of crops in the country.
    Department Director of the Ministry of Agriculture Ri Jae Hyon told KCNA that the damage to farm crops by the current torrential rains is heavier than the previous ones in our country. As of August 14, more than 11 percent of rice and maize fields were submerged, buried or washed away taking the country as the whole, he added.
    At least 26,000 hectares of paddy and dry fields were completely inundated in South Phyongan Province and 20,000 hectares of paddy and dry fields in South Hwanghae Province at a time when farm crops are coming into ears. These provinces are main granaries of the country.
    In particular, North Hwanghae Province was hit hardest with some 37,000 hectares of paddy and dry fields being flooded, buried or washed away.
    Over 200 pumping stations, more than 1,600 sections of waterways, upwards of 30 reservoirs, 450 agricultural structures and at least 800 sections of river and stream banks were destroyed and several hundreds of water pumps, electric motors and transformers were deluged throughout the country.
    Meanwhile, 10 sections of the dykes for controlling tidewater were damaged by flood in South Hwanghae Province.
    The government of the DPRK is taking positive measures against the flood damage in the agricultural sector.