The World Food Program (WFP) says North Korea will face this year its worst food crisis since 2001.

According to the U.N. food agency’s Asian office Thursday, the communist state is expected to see a food shortfall of around one-point-six million tons this year. That’s double the amount from last year.

The WFP added that due to heavy floods last fall, the North’s production of rice and corn saw sharp declines.

The isolated country's food shortage could deepen further, as its key food providers, including South Korea and China, are cutting back on shipments.

The agency urged the international community to support the impoverished state, saying it will become more difficult for Pyongyang to buy food with dollars amid surging global grain prices.