The DPRK has lots of favourable offshore conditions for farming seafood like kelp, seaweed, abalone and trepang.

The Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea set forth a task to build another offshore farm in other area on a trial basis by drawing on the experience gained in the construction of the Sinpho City Offshore Farm.

In December last year the Sinpho City Offshore Farm sprang up in the Phungo-dong area in the city of Sinpho, South Hamgyong Province, a typical coastal area of the country where the areas of arable land are limited in comparison with the number of population. The farm has such facilities as a scallop processing workshop, ultra-quick freezing chamber, general control room and sample room.

Last year, shellfish culture was conducted on a trial basis.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the offshore farm, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said: Our country with a long coastline has a number of coastal cities and counties, and our seas are clean and their ecological conditions are very good, so it is necessary to conduct farming and culture on a large scale in coastal areas by utilizing these favourable conditions. The creation of new experience in large-scale aquaculture in Sinpho, once a leading city in fishing, gives confidence that it is possible to restore and develop the fishing industry of the country with offshore farming as the main domain in the future.

It is important in regional development and improvement of the people’s standard of living to promote offshore farming in coastal cities and counties.

Moreover, now that dynamic efforts are being made to implement the Party’s regional development policy, the work comes to the spotlight.

Under the concern of the State, coastal cities and counties are out for the development of offshore farming on a large scale.

A panel in charge of the construction of offshore farms has been added to the non-permanent committee for promoting the Regional Development 20×10 Policy, putting in place a system that oversees and controls the work of developing aquaculture bases in coastal cities and counties.

Last year, a new realm of regional economic development was opened up through the completion of the modern offshore farm, and relevant measures are being taken to revitalize offshore farming by building another offshore farm and conducting in a scientific and foresighted manner such activities as survey of the marine ecological environment, analysis of marine resources, supply of seeds and equipment, and seafood processing.

In keeping with the natural and geographical features of the country, coastal cities and counties are making strenuous efforts to seek a path of development with their own characteristics by effectively exploiting marine resources and other economic potentials.

Jong Hwa Sun