Embedded Files
In 2010 the Haksan Cooperative was designated a university farm by the DPRK government and ceased to be the NZ Friendship Farm
Here are some details about Haksan as of 2005.
The 572 ha. former New Zealand Friendship Farm, (Haksan Cooperative) is located about 20 minutes drive to the North East of Pyongyang in Hyongjesan district. Some 310 ha are planted to rice each year, 205 ha to vegetables with most of the balance being devoted to fruit trees. 860 families live on the cooperative. The total population is 3,010. The cooperative’s workforce numbers 1,640 person, 40% of whom are female.
In the foreground are rice fields bordered by soyabean berms.
At the rear on the left is the Cooperative shop.
At the rear in the middle is the Cooperative Office and management building.
Buildings to the right are apartments for the farm families.
Soils
Located on shallow river valley land, the soils are light and sandy on the flats, rising up to slightly heavier and more fertile soils on the adjacent gently rolling hills. In this picture land in the foreground has been cultivated for a crop of radish. Almond trees can be seen in the background growing on the top of the hill.
Table 1. NZ Friendship Farm Soils
Management
The farm’s operations are controlled by a Management Team of 12 person, four of whom are female. The Management team comprises a Manager, two Vice Managers, and Operations Manager, one Chief Technician and one Vice Chief Technician, plus a Planning Section, Financial Section and a Technical Section.
Duties on the farm are divided between 17 work teams as shown in Table 2. The size of the work teams varies considerably. One Rice Work Team visited had 155 members, where-as the Mechanical Workshop Team has 20.
Table 2. Work Teams
Each Work Team comprises a Work Team Leader, one Technician and up to five Section Leaders. The number of persons within each section varies depending upon the duties the section is responsible for.
Rice.
Seven varieties are grown. About 40% of the rice area is double planted with an early season of wheat harvested before the rice is planted. Land preparation using the tractors has declined in recent years because of difficulties in buying diesel fuel. Most of the ploughing is now done by bullock. This takes crucial time and means that transplanting is later than it should be.
The procedures in establishing the seed bed, cultivation of the field, transplanting and fertilising follow the standard practises which have been evolved in DPRK. This entails a heavy planting of seed in the nursery, and an intensive (close space) planting of seedlings in the field.[1]A detailed schedule of fertiliser application is followed involving phosphatic and nitrogenous fertilisers as well as compost. Supply of fertiliser has become more of a problem in recent years. Yields do vary but it is claimed that the average is 6 tonne per chongbol. (i.e. very close to 6 tonne per ha). Rice is sold to the state at government prices. Each family also receives a ration.
The rice work teams are also responsible for growing the corn.
Water for the rice is pumped up from the river using electric pumps. The cooperative is charged a minimal rate for the electricity. The water is left standing in the rice field for the duration of the growing season.
Vegetables.
Some 45 varieties are grown including potato, sweet potato, cabbage, onion, beans, lettuce, tomatoes cucumber, pumpkin, radish, egg plant, carrot, peppermints and water melon. Production is limited at present to the spring, summer and autumn months, but it is hoped that in future a plastic greenhouse can be built which will extend production season.
Land preparation is a mixture of manual and animal draft power (ox or bullock). Usually the weeds are removed manually before ploughing. The weeds are added to compost heaps.[2]Typically, after cultivation, the land is ridged. Seedlings are grown in a nursery bordering one side of the field. The nursery is perhaps 1m wide, runs the length of the field and is covered with plastic sheeting stretched over semi-circle hoops. The plastic is used to protect the seedlings from extremes of temperature or rain. When ready, seedlings are transplanted onto the previously prepared ridges in the adjacent field.
On occasions, water pumped from the river may be channelled into the top of the field and trickled down in between the ridges to provide adequate moisture for growth.
Virtually all production is sold to the Government vegetable shops in Pyongyang. When vegetables are harvested and ready for market the vegetable shop sends a truck to pick the produce up. The vegetable shop advises the appropriate authority of the quantity of crop received and payment is made through the Government banking system to the cooperative at fixed Government prices.
Fruit.
Fruit trees are planted on the upper levels and tops of the small hills bordering the river valley. The major fruits are pear, plumb, almond and grape. Pears and plumbs are under-planted with annual crops including sweet potato and peppermint. Produce is sold to the state.
Pigs.
The farm keeps 90 sows in standard DPRK concrete sties with an front open yard. Although reasonably cool in summer the housing is does not allow the pigs to keep warm in the winter. The sows are a cross-bred mix of black and white breeds of not particularly high quality. Their appearance however may not be a reflection of poor genetic quality because the nutrition level they are provided with is clearly inadequate. Food wastes from several Pyongyang city restaurants, corn, and greens including comfrey for the diet. From the look of the pigs, is probable that the feeding is deficient in both quantity and balance of carbohydrates/protein/vitamin/ minerals.
Despite poor nutrition, it is claimed that 15.5 piglets are weaned per sow per year. This is not particularly high as compared to the norms in China, but given the feeding regime and housing, it is a quite a good result.
The cooperative does not fatten any of the piglets. Two piglets are sold to each family (Won 350 each in 2005) The families fatten the piglets on their homelot using household scraps, crop scraps - corn cobs, stover etc., - and scavenged vegetation. Each family is free to either consume or sell the fattened pigs as suits their purpose.
Rabbits
150 does are kept in concrete cages. These are of a better design than seen on other cooperatives.
Feed is grown, cut and carried for the rabbits. Between 4 – 5,000 young are raised each year.
All of the young rabbits are sold to cooperative families who then fatten and either consume or sell the rabbit.
Cattle
There are 140 adult cattle of which are 50 cows. In addition there are about 40 young stock. The prime purpose of the cattle is provision animal draft power (ploughing and ox carts for transportation.
Goats
There are around 270 female goats, 70% of which are in milk. Milk is all consumed on the cooperative. Many of the goats are cared for by individual families.
Tractors.
The farm has 15 tractors. Most of these are 25 year old Cholimas, manufactured in DPRK. A few are newer, being 15 year old Kumsongs. These are a variation of the Cholima design and made in the same factory.
The Cholima is a large, heavy under-powered two cylinder 28 hp diesel engined monstrosity designed in Russia in the late 1920s and produced in Russia during the 1930s and 1940s. The only modification from the original ‘20s design has been the addition of an external hydraulic system for the rear three point linkage.
The tractors are difficult to operate, almost impossible to start in the cold winter and very inefficient in terms of traction power. Parts are made and available, but it is very difficult for the farm to actually get hold of them within the government system and there is no open market.
The main uses for the tractors are ploughing and pulling trailers. The Cholima pulls a trailer quite effectively, but is not very efficient when ploughing. Over recent years tractor usage for ploughing has declined and much of it is now being accomplished with bullocks. Bullock carts are being used for small cartage job too. The reason for this is that the farm has difficulty buying diesel.
The NZ DPRK Society has helped address tractor and transportation issues. In 2005 a new Naenara tractor assembled in DPRK using Chinese parts was presented to the cooperative. The Farm Manager has reported that the new tractor uses about 35% less fuel to plough one hectare
In 2007 a second hand Dong Feng six ton tip truck from China was donated to improve the efficiency of transporting fertiiser and compost to the fields and the harvesting of crops.
Overview of the Cooperative
Farm productivity is high, albeit constrained by shortages of in puts.
Each year the farm draws up its plan for the following year including targets for tonnes of different crops. This is forwarded to Pyongyang for approval. While some changes may be made at central level, essentially the planning is carried out by the farm itself.
All crops produced up to the planned target tonnage must be sold to the state at the state price. Payments from the state for produce sold are made through the government banking system. The cooperative does not operate a bank account
If a bumper crop is grown and the target is exceeded, the cooperative is free to sell this on the open market where they are able to get a better price. Being closer to the city, income opportunities are thus better than more distant cooperatives.
Family Plots
Families live either in an apartment block, or in a small traditional Korean rural cottage on the farm. Each family has a 40 pyong (137m2) garden plot or homelot on which they can grow whatever crops or keep whatever livestock they wish. As has already been mentioned, piglets and rabbits are bred for the farm families to purchase and fatten in their own right.
More remote cooperatives also breed chickens for the farm families, but there are large State poultry farms nearby the NZ Friendship Farm and families are able to source their baby chicks (layer or broiler) from these.
A feature of the DPRK rice fields are the dark green hedgerows of soyabean which are grown around the periphery of the paddy fields. The soyabean is not a cooperative operation. The soyabean is tended by the work team farm families and they utilise the soyabean for their own personal human or livestock consumption. Similarly there are berms and embankments which can not grow rice. These are often planted in beans or vegetables – also by the farm families for their own use. Finally the cropping work teams are allowed to allocate a modest area for growing of corn vegetables etc for their own families.
Livestock or cropping produce grown by the farm families are used for their own home consumption, or sold in the open market for their own private gain. Farm families are therefore not entirely dependant upon the state for handouts and are able as a result to maintain a much better standard of livelihood. A positive by-product of this situation is that most farm families have a sound understanding of the cash economy and many are incipient entrepreneurs. This has to stand them in good stead in the long run if there is continued movement to a more market oriented economy.
NZ DPRK Society Support for the Cooperative 2004 - 2008
Korean language text books
Fertiliser
1 Naenara tractor
1 Dong Feng six ton truck
Water supply system for the Livestock Section
Funds for fertiliser
Funds for diesel
Emergency flood relief funds.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse