Double cropping that is now widely under way in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is associated with the warm care and devoted efforts of the great Leader and the great General for the people.
The respected Comrade
"The life of the great leader Comrade
At the Fourth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea the great Leader put forward a goal of grain production to be attained by the agricultural sector during the period of the seven-year plan, and earnestly stressed the need to employ double cropping widely.
Concerned about the problem of food for the people all his life, the great Leader made great efforts to solve the problem. He saw an important way to increase grain production in double cropping, conducted double cropping research in a plot at his residence and on an experimental plot and gave the research findings to officials concerned.
At the end of August Juche 52 (1963) the great Leader visited the then Jaechon Cooperative Farm in Jaeryong County to acquaint himself with the state of double cropping there. At a field planted with Italian millet after harvesting the first crop of the year, he said to officials of the farm that the Italian millet needed less fertilizer than the earlier crop. Mentioning that the aftercrop takes in the leftover components of the fertilizer after it was taken in by the earlier crop of barley the way one eats the leftover of food done by the other, he plainly explained the advantage of the aftercrop of Italian millet. Adding that as the rainy season starts in the country in early July, the earlier crop had to be gathered around the 15th of June so that the aftercrop could be soon planted for good seeding, he said that in that condition barley that ripens early had to be planted as the earlier crop instead of wheat harvested later. The farm officials were struck with admiration at the way the great Leader, better versed in farming than them, gave wise instructions.
On May 14, 1964, during his inspection of an experimental plot for double cropping, the great Leader said that double cropping had to be done without fail, and gave instructions about relevant crops, the distribution of necessary fields and seeds.
Previously, after deciding to do double cropping experiments on a wider field, the great Leader chose a stony field a farm had given up as barren and left unattended, and saw to it that stones were removed from the field and that silt from the Pothong River was spread on it. An official, thinking that the land for a double cropping experiment had to be fertile, suggested to the great Leader that it was advisable to use a good land for experimental farming. Then, shaking his head, the great Leader generously reasoned with him, saying: This is a good experimental field because there are many such stony fields in our country. Farming well in a field like this really means good farming.
Now the official was deeply impressed by the way the great Leader' thoughts of general farming in the country first even in choosing a single experimental field.
That year the great Leader visited the field four times to give detailed instructions about distribution of crops, sowing season, manuring, and cultivation.
On June 11, the great Leader visited the field again to tell the officials concerned about the data on the experiment he had done in the plot at his residence. Mentioning that he had experimented Italian millet as a later crop in the previous year, he said: The one planted on July 2 yielded four tons (per hectare), and the one planted on July 20 two tons. He then repeatedly stressed that it was advisable to plant Italian millet as a later crop before July 5, or, if possible, before the end of June. This served as an important opportunity for the officials to realize clearly how to choose the season for sowing barley and other later crops and the reason for it.
On May 19, 1965, during another visit to the experimental field, the great Leader acquainted himself with the harvest of an earlier crop in double cropping. Expressing satisfaction, he suggested showing it to officials of the agricultural sector. When the officials arrived at the field, he told them that barley grew well in the vicinity of Pyongyang and that over the two years of experiment he had drawn the conclusion that double cropping was possible. He went on to explain about double cropping of barley, saying that if only they planted barley they would get a good harvest. He added that it was advisable to plant it from late August to early October. Then, looking round the officials, he invited all of them to go to the plot at his residence, saying that the barley grew well in his plot, too.
At the sight of spring-sown barley, dry-field rice, Italian millet, soya bean and other crops growing well in the plot, the officials were all overwhelmed with admiration. Mentioning that spring-sown barley was quite good, the great Leader told them to plant barley a lot in the early spring in the future. He confirmed again the possibility of double cropping, saying that planting Italian millet for a later crop after spring barley and wheat would undoubtedly bring a good result and that dry-field rice, too, grew well as a later crop. The officials were deeply impressed by the way the great Leader had made devoted efforts to tend the plot at his residence in order to solve the problem of double cropping. They made up their mind to do double cropping properly in the future.
In late August, a few months later, the great Leader organized a demonstration of the double cropping method he had long conceived and confirmed through experiments in his plot. At the experimental plot, he explained to the participants about the double cropping done for two years with barley as an earlier crop and dry-field rice as a later crop, especially about the kinds of crop, the sowing seasons and the dates of harvesting. Informing them of how much fertilizer to apply as well, he declared the feasibility of double cropping, and called upon all of them to increase grain production by doing farming well with confidence.
This is how double cropping started in the country in the latter half of the 1960s. And a change was brought about in agricultural production, and the grain output of the country jumped almost two times.
The double cropping that started in the country thanks to the great Leader's devoted efforts developed to a higher level under the wise guidance of the great General.
True to the lofty intention of the great Leader and the great General, the respected Comrade
Under his wise guidance, the Korean people will bring about a new change in agricultural production in the shortest possible time by thoroughly implementing the Party's agricultural policy, and thus translate the desire of the great Leader and the great General into reality.
