North Korea Plans to Expand Output and Trade

North Korea unveiled plans to boost industrial and agricultural production over the next seven years and to greatly expand trade with other nations, the official North Korean Central News Agency, monitored in Tokyo, reported.

Prime Minister Li Gun-mo told the eighth Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang agricultural production will rise 1.4 times in the period of the new seven-year plan, the agency said.

“For a more satisfactory solution of the problem of food, clothing and housing for the people, a 15 mln tonne target of grain will be hit…And 1.5 billion metres of textiles will be produced annually,” he said.

Annual output of non-ferrous metals will be lifted to more than 1.7 mln tonnes in the seven year plan, the agency quoted Li as saying.

During the previous seven-year plan North Korea achieved annual output of 10 mln tonnes of grain. Chemical fertilizer production hit an annual target of five mln tonnes. He did not provide any other figures.