North Korea has convened a ruling Workers' Party politburo meeting to discuss grain distribution issues amid speculation of worsening food conditions in the country.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) reported on Monday that the secretary for organizational affairs of the party’s central committee, Jo Yong-won, presided over the previous day’s meeting in place of regime leader Kim Jong-un, who was likely preoccupied with the launch of a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea that same day.

According to the North Korean outlet, the participants assessed farming outcomes this year and discussed measures to thoroughly implement grain policies. The meeting adopted a draft of key decisions but it was not revealed.

The KCNA said that the officials stressed that all capacity and means will be mustered in harvesting and threshing and to improve grain procurement and supply, calling for an intensive fight against the factors impeding grain policy implementation.

The rare convening of a politburo meeting on agricultural policy is seemingly indicative of the dire food shortage in the North amid COVID-19 and natural disasters, a situation further exacerbated by alleged corruption in grain distribution.

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