Private farm plots are targets for downsizing by the North Korean authorities, according to a Daily NK source. The source told the online newspaper that the authorities have announced that plot sizes are to be scaled back from thirty pyeong to ten pyeong. Pyeong is an East Asian measurement system in which 1 square meter is equal to about 0.3 pyeong.
The source reported that citizens were told that private farm plots were to be downscaled to ten pyeong with the remaining 20 pyeong to be turned over to the cooperative farms. Plots in mountainous areas will be used for planting trees. This follows last year’s announcement of agricultural reforms which have not been implemented on a wide scale.
Each farmer must pay fifty won per pyeong in order to cultivate the land. The source said that the people must live off the land due to the poor rationing system. Moreover, they said that reducing the size of the plots is tantamount to taking away their food.
Source: The Daily NK
