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Thread: North Korea 'facing poor harvest' amid food shortages

  1. #1

    North Korea 'facing poor harvest' amid food shortages

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50359435

    The military complex does not go hungry though.

    North Korea's harvest is predicted to be worse than usual, exacerbating already severe food shortages in the country, a monitoring group says.

    Using satellite images, Swiss-based Geoglam said drought had affected crops in an area known as the "cereal bowl".

    The UN says four in 10 North Koreans need food aid and crop production is at its lowest level in five years.

    Shortages are made worse by international sanctions on North Korea over its weapons programme.

    In May food rations - which feed about 70% of the North Korean population - were cut from 550g (19.5 oz) to just 300g per person following poor results in this year's early harvest.

    The country's main harvest in the southern provinces of South and North Hwanghae and South Pyongyan was complete but was estimated to have produced a below-average quantity of crops, Geoglam said.

    This was due to "irregular rainfall and low reservoir levels during the summer", the organisation said, adding that North Korea's overall food situation was not expected to improve.

    North Korea experienced severe droughts in spring and summer, and in September the country was hit by Typhoon Lingling, which flooded farmland.

    In September the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said poor rice and maize harvests had left more than 10 million people in urgent need of assistance.

    The country has also had to cope with a regional outbreak of swine fever in its pig herd, leading to reduced pork production.

    Earlier this year a UN team found families surviving "on a monotonous diet of rice and kimchi most of the year, eating very little protein", according to a report by the World Food Programme. The report said some families were eating protein only a few times a year.

    China and other countries have already provided North Korea with food aid so far this year.

    However, North Korea has refused to accept 50,000 tonnes of rice from South Korea. This is reportedly because of tensions with the South linked to stalled talks between Pyongyang and the US over the North's nuclear programme.

    North Korea suffers regular food shortages. In the 1990s a severe nationwide famine is thought to have killed hundreds of thousands of people.



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  3. #2
    Gee, a socialist country starving.

    How unusual.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only want the freedoms that will undermine the nation and lead to the destruction of liberty.

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    Gee, a socialist country starving.

    How unusual.
    Oh yea, I am sure if you remove the socialism and keep everything else the same, they would all of a sudden stop starving.

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    Oh yea, I am sure if you remove the socialism and keep everything else the same, they would all of a sudden stop starving.
    It would help a lot very quickly.

    Africa's Socialism Is Keeping It Poor

    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    Oh yea, I am sure if you remove the socialism and keep everything else the same, they would all of a sudden stop starving.
    What's the major difference between North Korea, which is starving, and South Korea, which is trying to send them surplus food?
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only want the freedoms that will undermine the nation and lead to the destruction of liberty.

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    What's the major difference between North Korea, which is starving, and South Korea, which is trying to send them surplus food?
    Ability to trade? Do you actually think South Korea produces the adequate food they have?

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    Ability to trade? Do you actually think South Korea produces the adequate food they have?
    Since when do they need to trade to be able to feed themselves?
    We aren't talking about being one of the richest countries on the planet, just being able to feed themselves.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Since when do they need to trade to be able to feed themselves?
    We aren't talking about being one of the richest countries on the planet, just being able to feed themselves.
    Well, most countries would starve if they cannot make free trade with partners. That is just facts, add in economic sanctions and the vast majority of nations would starve. Imagine if a country has to make everything necessary to have an agricultural sector. Think tractors, fertilizers, etc,yes that would be awfully difficult.



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  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    Well, most countries would starve if they cannot make free trade with partners. That is just facts, add in economic sanctions and the vast majority of nations would starve. Imagine if a country has to make everything necessary to have an agricultural sector. Think tractors, fertilizers, etc,yes that would be awfully difficult.
    Their population should be in balance with their ability to grow food by now, it's not like they didn't lose an awful lot of people during and since the war.
    But socialism makes sure that whatever resources they have are misallocated.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    Well, most countries would starve if they cannot make free trade with partners. That is just facts, add in economic sanctions and the vast majority of nations would starve. Imagine if a country has to make everything necessary to have an agricultural sector. Think tractors, fertilizers, etc,yes that would be awfully difficult.
    Seriously?

    You do know they share a border with China, right?

    Are you sure you want to go down that rabbit hole? Shall we discuss how many of those technologies you mentioned the Soviets had to steal?
    Last edited by acptulsa; 11-09-2019 at 06:28 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only want the freedoms that will undermine the nation and lead to the destruction of liberty.

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Their population should be in balance with their ability to grow food by now, it's not like they didn't lose an awful lot of people during and since the war.
    But socialism makes sure that whatever resources they have are misallocated.
    What are you talking about? look up the concept of division of labour, it would tell you that countries and even regions within a country specialize in different industries, some are good at growing, other are good at manufacturing tool etc etc and the way the world works if for those regions and countries with different specialties to trade the surplus of what they are good at and buy the idea they are lacking.

    This idea that every country should balance their growth according to the amount of food they produce is idiotic and I can't believe this is coming out of your mouth. Western capitalism makes sure that this system of trade is disrupted for the benefit of the imperialists. Say what you want about socialism but they confine their dmg to the countries they operate in, that you cannot say about western capitalism.

  14. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    Seriously?

    You do know they share a border with China, right?

    Are you sure you want to go down that rabbit hole? Shall we discuss how many of those technologies you mentioned the Soviets had to steal?
    What does any of this got to do with anything that I said?

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    What are you talking about? look up the concept of division of labour, it would tell you that countries and even regions within a country specialize in different industries, some are good at growing, other are good at manufacturing tool etc etc and the way the world works if for those regions and countries with different specialties to trade the surplus of what they are good at and buy the idea they are lacking.

    This idea that every country should balance their growth according to the amount of food they produce is idiotic and I can't believe this is coming out of your mouth. Western capitalism makes sure that this system of trade is disrupted for the benefit of the imperialists. Say what you want about socialism but they confine their dmg to the countries they operate in, that you cannot say about western capitalism.
    I didn't say they should have to, but considering their isolation they would have by now since they are cut off from trading with others.
    And socialist countries have a long history of damaging other countries, usually to try and make up for their own poor economics by robbing others.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    What does any of this got to do with anything that I said?
    They can and do trade with China when they have anything of value to trade but Kimunism keeps them too poor to be able to trade for enough food with the Chinese.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  17. #15
    A country like North Korea is facing food shortages? Color me shocked.
    "Perhaps one of the most important accomplishments of my administration is minding my own business."

    Calvin Coolidge

  18. #16
    An example of the misuse of resources by a socialist state:

    Scientists In China Are Using Live Pigs As Crash Test Dummies

    In the middle of a massive pork shortage.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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  20. #17
    ''How on earth is it possible to have a food shortage in a fascist state?''

    Stalin

  21. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    Ability to trade? Do you actually think South Korea produces the adequate food they have?
    So Korea is a producer, they have intellectual and material value, why do they need to produce food at all ,
    can they not quid pro quo, produce what is needed all over the world so they can purchase what they
    need with the capital that they have given ?

  22. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    They can and do trade with China when they have anything of value to trade but Kimunism keeps them too poor to be able to trade for enough food with the Chinese.
    You have no idea what you are talking about, the US keeps complaining every single time a Chinese companies violates their trade sanctions on North Korea. They will sanction banks, companies and any entity found to be violating this sanctions and the Chinese unfortunately back down when the western capitalists starts whining when they get in the way of their attempt to destroy yet another nation.

    Btw, how does it feel to be on the same side as zippy?

  23. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    You have no idea what you are talking about, the US keeps complaining every single time a Chinese companies violates their trade sanctions on North Korea. They will sanction banks, companies and any entity found to be violating this sanctions and the Chinese unfortunately back down when the western capitalists starts whining when they get in the way of their attempt to destroy yet another nation.

    Btw, how does it feel to be on the same side as zippy?
    There is a massive blackmarket trade between the two.
    And it feels just fine to be on the side against communism no matter who happens to be on it with me.
    Last edited by Swordsmyth; 11-09-2019 at 07:46 PM.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  24. #21
    Sucks to be North Korean.

    We're being governed ruled by a geriatric Alzheimer patient/puppet whose strings are being pulled by an elitist oligarchy who believe they can manage the world... imagine the utter maniacal, sociopathic hubris!

  25. #22
    Last edited by Pauls' Revere; 11-09-2019 at 08:55 PM.

    We're being governed ruled by a geriatric Alzheimer patient/puppet whose strings are being pulled by an elitist oligarchy who believe they can manage the world... imagine the utter maniacal, sociopathic hubris!

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    There is a massive blackmarket trade between the two..
    I know you don't need me to tell you this but a black market economy is a very inefficient way of procuring a nations food product. So you bringing up that there are heroic Chinese people trying to help the North Koreans is not any kind of rebuttal to my post

    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    it feels just fine to be on the side against communism no matter who happens to be on it with me.
    I just wanted to know if it also made you feel dirty. I get that feeling whenever I find myself on his side. Carry on SS, the way Trump is managing his foreign policy, you will find yourself more and more in agreement with him. Neobirds of the same feather..............

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Stratovarious View Post
    So Korea is a producer, they have intellectual and material value, why do they need to produce food at all ,
    can they not quid pro quo, produce what is needed all over the world so they can purchase what they
    need with the capital that they have given ?
    Why produce food at all? because they have some capacity to produce food. And if not for the sanctions, they would trade freely without aggression with other nations for items they need.



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  29. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Their population should be in balance with their ability to grow food by now, it's not like they didn't lose an awful lot of people during and since the war.
    But socialism makes sure that whatever resources they have are misallocated.
    Quote Originally Posted by juleswin View Post
    What are you talking about? look up the concept of division of labour, it would tell you that countries and even regions within a country specialize in different industries, some are good at growing, other are good at manufacturing tool etc etc and the way the world works if for those regions and countries with different specialties to trade the surplus of what they are good at and buy the idea they are lacking.

    This idea that every country should balance their growth according to the amount of food they produce is idiotic and I can't believe this is coming out of your mouth. Western capitalism makes sure that this system of trade is disrupted for the benefit of the imperialists. Say what you want about socialism but they confine their dmg to the countries they operate in, that you cannot say about western capitalism.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    I didn't say they should have to, but considering their isolation they would have by now since they are cut off from trading with others.
    And socialist countries have a long history of damaging other countries, usually to try and make up for their own poor economics by robbing others.
    No reply?
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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