Vegetable prices jumped NT$5 per catty (600g) yesterday as consumers bought up store inventories and wholesalers scrambled to keep up with demand.
The government said vegetable prices would likely stabilize at an average of NT$20 per catty unless Typhoon Nari causes more damage in central Taiwan.
"Changhwa and Yunlin Counties are where most vegetable farmland is located in Taiwan," said Chan The-yung (詹德榮), chief of the agriculture marketing division under the Council of Agriculture. "Fortunately up to now [yesterday afternoon], most of the affected regions -- Taipei County and Keelung County -- had been far away from there."
Chan said that if Nari dumps heavy rain in Changhwa and Yunlin today, prices could hit a new high by the weekend. "If not, the rate will recover to more reasonable prices very quickly," Chan said.
The agricultural official estimated that vegetable prices for the following week could average around NT$25 per catty.
The news did little to ease consumer fears that Taipei may experience a vegetable shortage.
"After waking up this morning and learning about the flooding, I rushed to the supermarket to buy vegetables, milk, instant noodles and bread," said Chen Ming-ming (陳明明), a housewife with four mouths to feed. "I can't imagine having nothing to eat, especially when the power is out."
According to an official at Sungching supermarket, retail vegetable prices have climbed NT$5 every day since Saturday.
Another housewife said she could accept the higher prices as long as she can buy enough food to stock her refrigerator.
According to an estimate released by the Council of Agriculture yesterday evening, total agricultural losses were at NT$79.19 million, with Ilan County reporting the biggest losses of NT$25.89 million.
Taipei County's losses were NT$19.36 million, Taipei City's NT$10.8 million, Taoyuan County's NT$12.63 million and Hsinchu County's NT$3.2 million.
It is estimated that 27 percent of the nation's farmland was either flooded or washed away in the rains, resulting in NT$66.34 million in losses.
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