N. Korea underscores swift, accurate weather forecasts for agriculture during monsoon season

North Korea on Friday stressed the need for swift and accurate weather forecasts, as heavy rain likely to fall during the summer monsoon season could seriously affect the country's agriculture. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, reported that having accurate weather forecasts is a matter of survival for the agricultural sector, which is gravely affected by weather conditions. North Korea held a science conference on weather and ocean earlier this week in a bid to explore ways to minimize damage from typhoons, heavy rain, droughts and heat waves, according to the Korean Central News Agency. North Korea is vulnerable to flash flooding and heavy rain due to poor irrigation and deforestation. The country has been suffering from chronic food shortages that were aggravated amid global sanctions on its nuclear and missile programs and unfavorable weather. At the latest plenary party meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that "the farming situation throughout the country up to now is fairly g ood," calling for further efforts to ramp up crop output. The North's crop production is estimated to have reached 4.82 million tons last year, but it was still below 5.76 million tons, the annual amount that the North needs to feed its people, according to a projection by the Food and Agriculture Organization for North Korea. Source: Yonhap News Agency