"We heard from an official at the Pyongyang office of the World Food Program (WFP) that the amount of food rations increased to 395 grams per person this month," the activist who recently returned from a trip to the North said.
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According to the WFP, the North's food rations decreased from 400 grams per head in April last year to 190 grams in May and to 150 grams in June. But after the fall harvest, the amount began to rise to 355 grams in October, 365 grams in November and 375 grams in December.
This month's amount was up 20 grams from the previous month and also 15 grams more than 380 grams that the North Korean authorities unveiled in a plan delivered to the WFP at the end of last year.
The rise in the North's fall harvest last year by 300,000 to 400,000 tons than the previous year seems to be the main reason behind the increased food distribution.
Pyongyang is known to have made efforts to increase crop yields by importing an unprecedented amount of fertilizer from China last year.
In its report to the WFP, the North Korean government also citied the fall harvest as a reason for the increased rations. In addition, the North continued importing food even after the fall harvest season that year.
Analysts say chances are low that the food distribution might be stopped or drastically reduced this year.
"North Korea will be able to secure 400,000 tons, the shortfall from its minimum food requirement this year, through imports and outside aid," Kwon Tae-jin, a North Korea expert at the Korea Rural Economic Institute, said. "This level (of food inventory) might not be enough but few will likely starve to death," he added.
The North has relied on international handouts since the late 1990s when it suffered a massive famine that was estimated to have killed 2 million people.
sshim@yna.co.kr
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