Continuous rain over the past week has caused an estimated NT$67.2 million (US$2.2 million) in crop damage throughout the nation, with red beans the most affected, a report by the Council of Agriculture says.
According to data collected by the council on Saturday, about 3,326 hectares of farmland have been affected by the heavy rainfall. A total of 2,005 hectares of red bean farms have been affected.
The council said 859 hectares among the 2,005 hectares of the affected red bean farms would not be able to be harvested, resulting in damage to 43 percent of total red beans cultivated and NT$51.53 million in lost revenue.
Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄), accompanied by officials from Pingtung County’s Agriculture Department, visited red bean farms in Wandan (萬丹) and Sinyuan (新園) townships on Saturday to assess the agricultural damage.
The department said the red beans that were scheduled to be harvested next month have been beaten down by the rain and that the department would ask the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station to assist farmers to repair the damage.
The station said there are 4,800 hectares of red bean plantations in Pingtung County this year, but insufficient sunlight last month and heavy rain last week affected the growth of red beans in the area, so the station established three agricultural technical support groups on Friday to assist the farmers.
The council said corn, rice, young soybean and sweet potato crops have also been beaten down by heavy rain or affected by flooding.
Among the eight counties in which agriculture has been affected, the council’s report said the worst damage was observed in Pingtung, with about NT$48.94 million in damages, followed by Chiayi County, with about NT$9.45 million.
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