Vegetable prices have stabilized after a price spike over the weekend following torrential rains that damaged crops, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday, adding that the greatest agricultural losses were in Nantou County.
About 2,049 tonnes of vegetables were sold yesterday at Taipei’s fruit and vegetable markets, up 500 to 800 tonnes from Saturday and Sunday, Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co data showed.
The markets were closed on Monday.
The flooding caused massive damage to farmland, especially in Changhua, Nantou and Yunlin counties, Agriculture and Food Agency Deputy Director-General Su Mao-shiang (蘇茂祥) said.
The average price of vegetables jumped from NT$23.5 to NT35.9 over the weekend, Su said on Sunday, but dropped to NT$27.6 yesterday.
The agency has inspected vegetable prices at several supermarkets and traditional markets with the Consumer Protection Committee and the Fair Trade Commission, Su said, adding that price fluctuations were within normal ranges.
By 5pm yesterday, total losses of agricultural produce and equipment was NT$163 million (US$5.4 million), council data showed.
Nantou County sustained the biggest losses of NT$40 million, followed by Yunlin County (NT$28 million), New Taipei City (NT$20 million), Taitung County (NT$16.7 million) and Yilan County (NT$16.3 million), the council said.
Rice was one of the most seriously affected crops, with 1,543 hectares of rice farmland damaged, bringing losses of NT$14 million, it said.
Watermelon crops sustained significant damage, with 365 hectares ruined, with losses of NT$22 million, it said. Losses in the animal husbandry sector were NT$9.47 million, with chicken, geese and pig farmers affected the most.
The fishing sector lost NT$1.76 million, while farming equipment losses were NT$40 million, it said.
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