Kim Jong attends opening ceremony of greenhouse farm built on former missile test site
North Korea has opened a new massive greenhouse farm, Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm, and its opening ceremony was attended by its supreme leader Kim Jong Un, Reuters reported, quoting state media.
It has been built on a former air base where the country had test-fired missiles until last year, the report said.
The farmhouse, apparently being touted as one of the country’s largest vegetable farms, has been opened to address the problems of food shortages. The area where the farmhouse has been built was used for several launches of short-range ballistic missiles, including the KN-25s in November 2019 and the suspected KN-23s in March 2021.
According to state media, Kim attended the event after guiding the officials on nuclear tactical exercises. North Korea has been carrying out nuclear exercises targeting South Korea in a bid to counter recent joint naval drills by South Korean and US forces.
Located in the eastern countryside of Hamju, the farmhouse’s launch was to mark the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party, a major holiday in North Korea. The project was unveiled in December last year on top priority to transform Ryonpho air base into a “highly automated farm” to improve the lives of people.
Using Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm as a model, Kim John plans to move ahead with the overall rural development of the country.
WHAT DOES FARM HAVE?
According to the official KCNA news agency, the farm has more than 850 blocks of modern greenhouses covering 280 hectares, to be harmonised with some 1,000 houses, schools and cultural and service facilities.
“Kim John has spearheaded the farm initiative to boost vegetable supplies and praised soldiers and workers for completing the construction in just a few months,” KCNA said in a statement, reported Reuters.
He has also instructed construction of more large farms, increasing the variety of vegetables to be supplied and ensuring scientific, industrialised production and management at those farms.