Grain prices in North Korean markets have climbed across the board following the exhaustion of food stocks at state-run grain shops.
According to Daily NK’s regular survey of market prices in North Korea, a kilogram of rice cost KPW 5,200 in a particular market in Pyongyang as of Mar. 17, a 6.1% increase from the last survey two weeks earlier on Mar. 4, when it cost KPW 4,900.
Rice prices rose by similar increments elsewhere. At a particular market in Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, a kilogram of rice cost KPW 5,300 as of Mar. 17, a 6% increase from the previous survey two weeks earlier.
The rice price climbed the most in Hyesan, Yanggang Province. At one market in Hyesan, a kilogram of rice cost KPW 5,700, 7.5% higher than it did in the previous survey.
Corn prices also skyrocket
A kilogram of corn in a market in Sinuiju cost KPW 2,800 as of Mar. 17, 7.7% higher than it cost on March 4. The price of corn rose by a similar amount in Pyongyang.
However, the corn price held steady in Hyesan at KPW 3,000 a kilogram. Though the price stayed the same, corn was still more expensive than in Pyongyang or Sinuiju.
The market price of grain in North Korea is higher than it has been since last September, just before the full-scale start of the rice harvest.