North Korea is aggressively promoting fish farming in rice paddies across South Hwanghae province. However, farmers and local sources now report that the campaign lacks the basic support to succeed. Provincial agricultural committees have organized technical training sessions and farm visits since May. These events showcase fish farming as a low-cost way to raise grain yields and produce extra protein. Yet the push moves ahead without securing essential supplies like fingerlings and reliable water systems.
The method raises fish alongside rice in flooded paddies. Weeds and insects feed the fish, while fish waste fertilizes the rice. Authorities frame fish farming as a self-reliant solution for rural areas with scarce resources. It fits neatly into the state’s broader policy of local food self-sufficiency. Consequently, officials have urged widespread adoption across the province. Several farms, including Sinsaeng in Chongdan county, have held training sessions led by workers who achieved good results last year. Participants also visited farms with small vinyl-lined fish ponds inside paddies.
Nevertheless, farmers on the ground describe a gap between instruction and actual conditions. The source said workers keep receiving new farming methods from above without the necessary inputs. “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 explained. Beyond training fatigue, real-world problems persist. The source added that fish farming requires fingerling supply, water management, and maintenance funding. None of these have materialized, so learning techniques alone will not solve anything.
Furthermore, the extra workload worries farm workers already struggling with labor-intensive rice cultivation. Fish farming demands modifying paddies and organizing security watches to prevent theft. These added tasks fuel resentment among those who feel stretched thin. As a result, the campaign faces skepticism despite official enthusiasm. The push for fish farming continues, but without reliable inputs and labor support, its goals appear distant.
The provincial agricultural committees have not publicly addressed the criticism. For now, fish farming remains a top-down initiative meeting bottom-up resistance. The future of the program will likely depend on whether Pyongyang supplies the necessary resources to match its rhetoric.
