New Rice Unsuccessful In North Vietnam

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32391, 2 September 1970, Page 19

New Rice Unsuccessful In North Vietnam

(N.Z. Press Association) SAIGON. “Miracle rice” apparently has failed to solve North Vietnam’s food shortages, according to Allied experts. North Vietnam obtained the IRB and IRS “miracle rice” strains, possibly from East Pakistan, almost as soon as they were given in South Vietnam by the International Rice Institute in the Philippines. United States experts on North Vietnam expect the Communists also to obtain the even-newer IR2O “miracle rice” strain as soon as it is available in South Vietnam. They note that East Pakistan has ordered greater quantities of the seed than could be expected to satisfy its own needs.

There is evidence, however, that North Vietnam’s rice shortage continues after more than two years of planting “miracle rice,” in spite of a possible twice-normal yield. With “miracle rice,” South Vietnam a rice exporter until 1964, but a rice importer due to wartime disruption since—expects to have a rice surplus next year. Various suggestions are put forward to explain North Vietnam’s rice shortage despite the introduction of “miracle rice.” For one thing, South Vietnam’s Mekong delta is able to get three rice crops a year with “miracle rice,” but weather limits North Vietnam to two crops. There are shortages of fertiliser and irrigation equipment in North Vietnam and more than 5m of North Vietnam’s 7.5 m agricultural workers are women. Reduced Rations

The rice ration of North Vietnam’s 20m inhabitants averages 33 pounds a month, compared with 57 pounds a month for a North Vietnamese soldier. Recent defectors questioned by allied intelligence say, however, that although the North Vietnamese rice-ration is unchanged, the actual issue to civilians is a glutinous mix-

ture of half milled rice, half wheat flour. Even if the full rice ration were wet. North Vietnamese civilians would be less well-fed than South Vietnamese, who consume on average 37 pounds of rice per month. Hanoi radio claims and allied experts agree that North Vietnam's spring rice crop produced a bumper harvest, but floods last summer destroyed much of the autumn crop and more floods are forecast this summer, particularly in the south.