In a meeting with legislators yesterday, the Council of Agriculture and relevant departments agreed to investigate whether artificial rain is causing damage to dragon fruit production.
The Central Weather Bureau, in trying to lessen the impact of the recent drought on farmers and chipmakers, sought to induce the rainfall between March 22 and March 25. A small amount of rain was induced.
The probe is set to begin on Tuesday.
The press conference, held by DPP legislator Pong Tien-fu (彭添富) and KMT legislator Chen ken-te (陳根德), was called to draw attention to concerns of Taoyuan County's dragon fruit farmers.
According to the farmers, events such as drought, frost, heavy rain and extreme heat or cold have not affected production since Taiwan's dragon fruit industry first started to develop three years ago. The fruit is now being grown on approximately 13 hectares of land.
Dragon fruit, or pitaya, is a cactus fruit originally grown in Vietnam.
"After the artificial rain induced by the Central Weather Bureau between March 22 and March 25, each of us [Taoyuan County dragon fruit farmers] found our dragon fruits withering from leave to the root," said a farmer surnamed Chen, one of the 30 dragon fruit farmers at the press conference
"Since there wasn't a plague of vermin or any unusual weather, we strongly suspect that the smothering of our dragon fruits was caused by the artificial rain," he added. "We were nearly ready to harvest the fruits," he said. "But now there is nothing."
Chen added that the market value of the crops would have been approximately NT$ 90 million.
Dragon fruit farmers and representatives of the Council of Agriculture, the Water Resources Agency and the Taoyuan County government's Agricultural Bureau decided at the meeting to make a site inspection of the damaged crops next Tuesday.
"We also ask relevant departments to carry out similar investigations into dragon fruit farming outside the Taoyuan County area where rain was induced, to see whether similar cases of withering resulted," Pong said.
Lin Huo-mu (林火木), chief of the engineering department at the Water Resources Agency, said that since the implementation of artificial rain 10 years ago, no crop damage has ever been reported.
"This [withering of dragon fruit] would be the first case of its kind in relation to artificial rain," Lin said. "My agency will work with other relevant departments to determine whether rain-making efforts have indeed damaged dragon fruit production."
Pong added that if the investigation shows the artificial rain caused the damage, talks on compensation to farmers would then take place.
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