Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) yesterday instructed Cabinet officials to process subsidies for agricultural losses promptly to help farmers quickly recover from devastating floods brought by torrential rains that started on June 10 as well as Tropical Storm Talim this week.
Government figures showed the disasters had resulted in a loss to the agricultural sector, including agriculture, forestry, fishery and animal husbandry, amounting to NT$744.39 million (US$24.9 million) as of 4pm yesterday.
According to the Council of Agriculture, local governments reported NT$543.45 million in agricultural product losses, with crop damage on 19,687 hectares, with 17 percent of the crops destroyed.
Of these crops, rice was the main crop affected, with 16 percent of the first crop paddy damaged, and losses amounting to NT$160.41 million. It was followed by damage to persimmons, water melons, papayas, fast-growing leafy vegetables and Kyoho grapes, the council said.
Animal husbandry losses stood at NT$12.33 million, with more than 800 pigs and 70,000 chickens in Taoyuan County perishing in the storm, the council said.
The torrential rain also caused oyster farmers in Budai Township (布袋), Chiayi County, to sustain losses of NT$83.86 million, with about 1,625 oyster farms along the coast destroyed, the council said.
In accordance with regulations, the council said it would distribute a cash subsidy to affected farmers growing various types of melon in Taoyuan County.
Subsidies will also be provided to farmers growing vegetables and flowers in Taoyuan County, rice crops in Taitung County and papayas in Greater Kaohsiung who meet eligibility criteria, the council said.
Farmers in Taiyuan County and Chiayi County affected by the disasters will be eligible to apply for a low-interest rate loan, the council said.
The government will also purchase all rice crops spoiled by the floods and storm to help support the farmers’ families, the council said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it