North Korean authorities are reportedly
confident they can raise daily food rations to above 500 grams a head next
month.
A source who recently traveled to the
North on Tuesday quoted officials there as saying Pyongyang would normalize
food rations on Oct. 10, which marks the 60th anniversary of the Workers
Party of Korea. The source said he was told that cereal rations, which
averaged 300 g a day per person and were cut to 250 g a day earlier this
year, would be increased to 500-700 g from that day.
It was unclear whether that is a temporary measure to mark the anniversary or whether it reflects an improved food situation.
The World Food Program says North Korean authorities slashed per-capita cereal rations from 300 g to 250 g in January. That was the lowest amount since January 2001. The source said a normal adult should consume about 700 g a day.
Meanwhile, North Korean officials said the government passed a no-smoking law in June, with ashtrays disappearing from hotels, offices, factories and bus stops when the law went into effect in August, according to the source.