The Food and Agriculture Organization(FOA) has once again designated North Korea as a country in need of external food aid. 

According to Voice of America on Tuesday, the UN agency included North Korea in its list of 45 countries that need external assistance to ensure food security. The North has been included in the list for 18 straight years since the FAO started the study in 2007.

In its latest report on the global food and agricultural situation, the FAO said that food consumption is low in the communist country and North Korean residents lack variety in their diet.

The organization also announced a weak outlook for food security in North Korea in the first half of this year amid slow economic growth.

Of the 45 countries in need of external food assistance, 33 are in Africa, nine are in Asia, two are in Latin America and the Caribbean, and one is in Europe.

[Photo : YONHAP News]