North Korea expands rice-paddy fish farming drive, farm workers push back

North Korea has been pushing rice-paddy fish farming as an organic, low-cost method to boost grain output and supplement the food supply, but farmers in South Hwanghae province say the campaign is running ahead of the conditions needed to make it work.

A Daily NK source in South Hwanghae province reported on Thursday that provincial agricultural management committees, the county-level bodies responsible for directing farm production, have been organizing a series of technical training sessions, experience-sharing discussions, and on-site farm visits throughout the province since the start of May. The sessions are focused on rolling out rice-paddy fish farming across more farms.

The push aligns with North Korea’s broader self-reliance policy, which calls on farms and local units to secure food and daily necessities through their own means rather than relying on state supply. Rice-paddy fish farming is seen as fitting that framework precisely because it requires no major outside investment.

Conditions not keeping pace with campaign

Several farms in the province, including the Sinsaeng farm in Chongdan county, have reportedly held training sessions led by workers recognized for achieving results with rice-paddy fish farming last year. Participants were also taken to visit farms that have installed small vinyl-lined fish ponds within their paddies.

Workers on the ground, however, say the training is being pushed without any of the underlying conditions being in place.

“From above, they keep introducing new farming methods, saying this one has high productivity and that one is easy to manage, and demanding we adopt them,” the source said. “People are saying it’s hard enough to keep up with one thing, and now there’s just more and more to learn.”

The source added that while the intent behind rice-paddy fish farming appears sound, real-world constraints remain unresolved. “The problem is that the practical conditions need to be in place, things like fingerling supply, water management, and maintenance costs,” the source said. “People are talking because they think just learning the techniques and methods will solve everything, when the actual support isn’t there.”

There are also concerns about the added workload. Farm workers already burdened with labor-intensive rice cultivation say fish farming introduces additional tasks, including modifying paddies and organizing their own security details to prevent fish theft.

Read in Korean

A Note to Readers