North Korea is importing large quantities of Chinese blueberries to fulfill the ruling party’s directive to produce fruit-based alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.
Speaking anonymously, a source in Ryanggang province recently told The Daily NK that large amounts of blueberries were being imported through customs in Hyesan and transported to blueberry production facilities in the province.
Blueberries are a prized crop from the Mount Paektu region (known as Mount Changbai in China) and, in North Korea, they are primarily cultivated in Hyesan. Each August and September, various organizations, companies, and neighborhood watch units are mobilized for the harvest, with most of the yield exported to China.
However, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un conducted an inspection in Samjiyon last month, the authorities ordered increased output from blueberry product factories. North Korean supplies of blueberries have been running low, forcing companies to begin importing blueberries from China, instead of exporting them as usual.
“(Kim) called for the production of large amounts of goods using local delicacies such as blueberries in order to improve the dining experience for tourists. After that, the Cabinet ordered blueberry factories to increase their output,” the source said.
As part of the same orders, factories were told to complete their quarterly production quota within two months instead of three. But since that could not reasonably be achieved with Ryanggang province’s blueberry crop, factories have been scrambling to import blueberries from China.
Factories face trouble making profits
The problem is that Chinese blueberries are more expensive, leaving little profit margin for factories forced to use them in production.
North Korea used to receive 13 Chinese yuan ($1.80) per kilogram for exporting blueberries to China, but it is now paying 28 yuan ($3.90) to import blueberries from the country.