BEIJING -- North Korea is still struggling with chronic malnutrition with 84 percent of households having borderline or poor food consumption, United Nations agencies said on Thursday, despite a 5 percent rise in staple food output.

Overall production for this year's harvest is estimated at some 5.03 million metric tons, roughly a 5 percent increase from last year, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Program (WFP) said in a joint statement.

"Despite the improved harvest, the food security situation is still unsatisfactory with 84 percent of households having borderline or poor food consumption," it said.

"Despite continued improvement in agricultural production, the food system in the DPRK (North Korea) remains highly vulnerable to shocks, and serious shortages exist particularly in the production of protein-rich foods," said Kisan Gunjal, an FAO economist and co-leader of the U.N. agencies' mission in North Korea, in the statement.

"In the interest of increased protein consumption and to reverse the downward trend of soybean production, the price paid to farmers for soybean should be increased," Gunjal said.

Dierk Stegen, WFP's representative on North Korea, also said, "Improving the diversity and quality of food provided through the child institution system is essential to improving children's nutrition."

"We want to produce Rice Soya Milk Blend but can only do so if we receive sufficient donor support," Stegen said.

(Yonhap News)