South Pyongan province’s farm management committee has been conducting a two-week inspection of wheat and barley fall planting operations at local farms, with a focus on seed preparation and land allocation. The inspection began on Oct. 1, when farms in the province started their fall planting activities.
A source in the province told Daily NK recently that the inspections were conducted directly by the provincial farm management committee with the aim of closely monitoring the entire planting process this year. Farms in several counties and cities in the province, including Kaechon and Tokchon, had seen disappointing yields of wheat and barley planted last fall.
Last year, members of South Pyongan province’s farm management committee had relied on reports from farm managers instead of leaving their offices to visit the actual farms. But after the unexpectedly poor harvest, committee members questioned their management approach and decided to monitor farms more closely during the planting phase.
Committee inspectors scrutinized the exact area allocated for planting and the amount of seed to be planted in each plot. After re-measuring the plots to be planted on each farm, the inspectors confirmed that each plot was sown with an appropriate and precisely calculated amount of wheat and barley seed.
Unable to visit all farms in the province, the committee inspectors randomly selected farms around Kaechon and Tokchon, the towns where last year’s crop shortfall was most severe, for daily on-site inspections.
In a message to all farms in the province, the committee stressed that agricultural supervision must begin with planting and that regular inspections and supervision would continue.
The committee said that careful monitoring is needed from the initial planting stage to ensure that the yield is not sabotaged by a shortage of seed grain or a mismatch between seed grain and plot area.
“The provincial agricultural management committee’s determination to micromanage seed preparation and planting, given their direct impact on the final yield, and the committee’s inspections have put farmers on edge,” the source said.
“With the provincial agricultural management committee looking over their shoulders, farmers are being more conscientious about planting wheat and barley than ever before. But they’re already worried because no one can predict what the actual yield will be next year,” she added.
The Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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October 23, 2024 at 12:00PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)