The price of cereals at North Korean marketplaces continues to rise, leading some to say the food shortage in the country is even more serious during the pandemic.
According to Daily NK’s regular survey of North Korean market prices, one kilogram of rice was trading for KPW 6,300 at a market in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, on Apr. 28.
That was 3.28% higher than the price of rice at a market in the same city during the previous survey, on Mar. 14 (KPW 6,100). The last time the price of rice at a Hyesan market reached KPW 6,300 was seven months ago, in September 2023.
According to the survey, the price of rice has risen by a similar amount at markets in other regions, too. As of Apr. 28, a kilogram of rice was trading for KPW 5,500 at a market in Pyongyang and for KPW 5,600 at a market in Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province. The prices were up 2.8% and 3.7%, respectively, from two weeks before.
The same survey found that the market price of corn rose even faster than rice.
A kilogram of corn at a market in Hyesan was trading for KPW 3,500 at a market in Hyesan on Apr. 28, marking the highest level so far this year. Just as with rice, that was the first time corn had reached that price point since September 2023.
The price of corn is also continuing to rise at markets in Pyongyang and Sinuiju, where a kilogram of corn sold for KPW 3,100 and KPW 3,140 on Apr. 28, up 6.9% and 7.9%, respectively, from two weeks before.
Survey records show that the current price of grains at North Korean markets is even higher than during the four springs from 2020 to 2023, while the country’s border was closed because of the pandemic.