South Korea to resume farm aid to North in March http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2007-03-16T142754Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-291195-1.xml
Fri Mar 16, 2007
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will later this month make its first shipment of fertiliser aid to the North since it cut off food and farm handouts in response to Pyongyang's defiant missile tests in July 2006, an official said on Friday.
South Korea's Red Cross will start its shipments of 300,000 tonnes of fertiliser to the North on March 27 to help the impoverished country with its spring sowing season, which is about to begin, a Red Cross official said by telephone.
Ties between the two Koreas, chilled by Pyongayng's decision to launch missiles and its first nuclear test in October 2006, have improved since the North agreed at six-country talks last month to start scrapping its nuclear arms programme.
South Korea has said it may soon resume its regular shipments of what is typically 500,000 tonnes of rice a year to the North if there is more progress at the nuclear talks.
International aid organisations say North Korea suffers from chronic food shortages because of its mismanaged farm policy. Even in a good year, it still falls about 1 million tonnes short of what is required to feed its people.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.