May 28, 2013

North Korea's fertiliser imports from China increase

Underlining Pyongyang's efforts to raise agricultural production, North Korea's fertiliser imports from China jumped fivefold in April from a year earlier.

Citing a report by the South Korea Rural Economic Institute, Yonhap said North Korea imported 91,318 tonnes of fertiliser from China in April, compared with 15,218 tonnes a year earlier.

"The increase this year shows that the North is putting top priority on boosting productivity in the agricultural sector as well as that the conditions for fertiliser production in North Korea are in a bad shape," South Korean analyst Kwon Tae Jin said in the report, citing trade data from the South Korea International Trade Association.

The sharp increase in fertiliser imports from China came despite the fact that Beijing has imposed high export customs to limit outbound shipments of Chinese fertiliser, Kwon said.