Farmers have suffered at least NT$140 million (US$4.46 million) in losses following heavy rains in central and southern Taiwan, with Nantou County the hardest-hit area with an estimated NT$43 million in losses, the Council of Agriculture said yesterday.
Among other areas inundated by heavy rains, Yunlin County suffered losses of at least NT$4 million, Kaohsiung sustained losses of NT$28 million, while NT$17 million of losses have been reported in Pingtung County, the council said in a statement.
The council has been updating the statistics daily as more farmers report damage to crops, land and buildings on their land from the downpours that began on Monday last week and have persisted on and off into this week.
Among the estimated NT$140 million in losses reported so far, NT$96 million were to crops, with papayas, peanuts, bananas and watermelons the most heavily affected, the council said.
Farmland was also affected, with 8.6 hectares of land and other agricultural facilities lost to the heavy rains, it said.
Papaya and watermelon farmers in Kaohsiung and Pingtung respectively could apply for cash subsidies and low-interest loans from the government to help them recover more quickly from the losses, it added.
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