Processed mudfish produced at so-called rice paddy fishfarms in North Korea have recently entered Chinese markets amid North Korea’s efforts to promote such fishfarms as an ecologically friendly, organic farming method.
“Large amounts of North Korean-made dried mudfish have entered shops selling North Korean products in the Dandong region of Liaoning province, China, as well as in Changbai and Hunchun, Jilin province,” a source in China told Daily NK recently. “They were processed mudfish produced at rice paddy fishfarms in the Hwanghae provinces of North Korea, but demand in China is still minimal.”
According to the source, North Korean-made dried mudfish sold in China is graded by size, degree of drying, and color. The dried mudfish costs between 65 and 120 Chinese yuan (roughly $9-$16) per 600 grams, depending on the grade.
The quality of the dried fish is acceptable, but with the Chinese market already filled with processed farmed mudfish products, Chinese consumers have not taken to the North Korean products, which are less price-competitive.
“Dried mudfish products from major producers like Hunan, Zhejiang, and Sichuan provinces already dominate the market here in China and cost less than the North Korean-made products,” the source said. “Chinese merchants who sell North Korean goods try to market their wares with ads on social media promoting the ‘rarity’ of North Korean products, but they sell only small amounts because the consumer base of such items remains limited.”
Export priority over domestic consumption
A merchant at one Chinese shop selling North Korean goods said they “haven’t dealt in North Korean-made mudfish for that long” and that they have “constantly issued ads to drive up consumer interest, but it won’t be easy to turn them into steady sellers if we can’t get people to buy them for special occasions, such as holiday gifts.”
Mudfish from North Korea’s rice paddy fishfarms have appeared in Chinese markets because of Pyongyang’s strategy to prioritize the fish from such farms for export over domestic demand to make foreign currency.
North Korea has pushed for the active adoption of rice paddy fishfarms as an integrated agricultural-fishery model that kills two birds with one stone—people can raise fish in rice paddies with no investment in equipment required, while the fish’s excrement serves as a natural fertilizer that enables farmers to grow rice without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
The rice paddy fishfarms, advocated on the premise of improving people’s diets by boosting rice and fish production and providing protein, are being expanded nationwide. However, the fish produced at these farms are rarely offered to North Koreans. This is because once production reaches a particular stage, the fish are turned into export items to generate foreign currency.
“North Korean-made mudfish is exported in dried form, but it’s doubtful whether they will have a major impact on the country’s foreign currency earnings because the products aren’t competitive,” the source said. “The volume of these exports will continue to increase, but if the market continues as is, North Korea won’t make as much money as it hopes.”
January 28, 2026 at 12:20AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)