When Chairman Kim Jong Il’s birthday (February 16) comes around, I recollect the benevolent image of the Chairman who worked so hard all his life to improve people’s living standards. Kim Jong Il visited our farm eight times to improve the livelihood of the lowland farmers and increase grain production.
In December Juche 95 (2006) he inspected our farm to look round the 260 flats newly built on its own. This was his fifth visit to our farm. The new houses were built under the loving care of the Chairman. Our farmers were thirsty for his visit; their village turned into a fairy land overflowing with the aroma of the fruit trees in their houses and cosmos along the roadsides in autumn. Kim Jong Il looked round several houses in great delight. He expressed satisfaction over the paths paved through the houses and said that the houses were built so stately that they would excite the envy of landlords in the bygone days. Pointing to the doorplates bearing the names of the owners of the houses, he noted that people would find it difficult to meet those they wanted to do, adding that the names of the house owners and their neighbourhood units should be put together on the nameplates so that people could easily reach their destinations merely at the sight of the nameplates. After feasting his eyes on the houses standing in rows, hall of culture, shop, kindergarten and ri people’s hospital, Kim Jong Il asked me how was the farm’s crop yield for that year and what kinds of tractors were in the possession of the farm. Informed that the performance of the farm’s tractors was so low that they were not enough to plough deep, he told me that he would take measures to send high-performance tractors to our farm, inspiring me to work harder the following year.
One December day in Juche 97 (2008) he visited our farm once again to acquaint himself with its farming conditions in spite of biting cold. First of all, he paid attention to the operation of various kinds of tractors sent under his care, and then urged our officials to use tractors with small fuel consumption and high performance in line with the farm’s condition. What was important in farming was to increase per-hectare yield, he continued, inspiring our farm to organize a socialist emulation drive involving other farms such as Samjigang in Jaeryong County, Sinam in Ryongchon County and Unhung in Thaechon County. Chatting with our farming workers over farm work, he said that it would be advisable to adopt any seed on a general scale after testing its suitability when I told him that our farm would extensively plant a new rice seed the following year.
That day he saw various types of tractors and rice harvesters that were on display before the building of the youth workteam of our farm. Noting that when farm work was done by mechanical means, farmers could be freed from arduous labour, he there and then took a step to send our farm scores of modern tractors and other farming machines so that it could realize a higher level of its comprehensive mechanization.
Later on he came to our farm several times to inquire into the issues in the way of the farm work and give detailed ways and methods for scientific and technological farming that suits the farm’s specific conditions. Informed that our farm had built an organic compound fertilizer plant and spore cultivation ground for mushroom production by itself and set up a large-capacity water pump so that it could do farm work free from any flood damage, he praised our farm for its laudable deed.
Once he said that he felt attached to our farm. This is still etched in my memory.
I am determined to do my best to increase grain production, always cherishing in my mind the benevolent care he bestowed on our farm in his lifetime.
Song Yun Hui,
Chairwoman of the Management Board
 of Migok Cooperative Farm,
Sariwon City, North Hwanghae Province