15/05/2013: Food shortages in Korea; UK mill fined over after worker loses fingers; Nigeria pushes biotechnology

Food shortages in North Korea might reach some 500,000 tons this year. The government intends to import some 300,000 tons of grain, while the other 200,000 tons might be supplied within the scope of humanitarian assistance, said a representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. (FAO)

To evaluate the situation, FAO personnel will visit a number of rural areas in North Korea shortly, deputy director of the FAO mission in Pyongyang Belay Derza Gaga said.

One of FAO's line of activities in North Korea is to increase grain yield per hectare, which will eventually allow for solving the food problem in the country.

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A grain milling firm in the UK has been fined £18,000 after a worker lost three fingers and a thumb in a mixer.

Roman Banach, 49, was working at Genteel Associates Ltd in Wellingborough when he touched an unguarded blade while reaching into a mixer chute. Since the accident, Banach has been unable to return to work.

In addition to the fine, the company has been ordered to pay £12,776 in costs.

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Nigeria hopes to exploit biotechnology to help feed its growing population as the country looks to a future without oil.

"I think that for us, we’re a very pro-technology government. With our agriculture, there’s so much people to be fed, we have to use the best of technology; it’s not just the biological technology," Dr Akinwumi Adesina, minister of agriculture and rural development, told News24.

He also added that as the country moved to expand its farming to a commercial enterprise, biotechnology would be employed to speed up food production.

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This image shows all countries classified as "Food Insecure" by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, between 2003 and 2005. more than 5% of the people have insufficient food more than 15% of the people have insufficient food more than 25% of the people have insufficient food more than 35% of the people have insufficient food more than 50% of the people have insufficient food (Photo credit: Wikipedia)