A U.N. food agency says North Korea needs to secure some one-point-three million tons of food before the end of October in order to sustain its people.

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on Friday said in its food report that the North is suffering a serious food crisis due to significant drops in its grain production over the past two years.

The agency says North Korea received about 450-thousand tons of food aid from November to mid-January period, but that it will need to secure from outside sources or through commercial deals an additional one-point-three million tons of food before this November.