The heavy rainfall and flooding caused by Tropical Storms Trami and Kong-Rey have led to estimated agricultural losses of more than NT$444 million (US$14.9 million), the Council of Agriculture (COA) said.
The figure was calculated using statistics from the Department of Animal Industry, the Department of Agriculture, the Food Agency, the Fisheries Agency, the Forestry Bureau and local governments.
The places which suffered the greatest losses are Yunlin (NT$155 million), Chiayi (NT$153 million) and Pingtung (NT$24 million) counties, as well as Greater Tainan (NT$33 million) and Greater Kaohsiung (NT$22 million).
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
The losses seen in Yunlin and Chiayi are severe enough that those affected qualify for government-funded relief in the form of low-interest loans, as stipulated by the Implementation Rules of Agricultural Natural Disaster Relief (農業天然災害救助辦法), the council said.
Crop damage accounts for an estimated NT$317 million of the total agricultural losses, including about NT$37 million in ruined peanuts, approximately NT$30 million lost second-season rice, about NT$20 million lost in corn crops, roughly NT$18 million waterlogged tomatoes and about NT$17 million in ruined papayas, it added.
The council said the total livestock killed by Trami and Kong-Rey and the ensuing storms they caused included 436,000 chickens, 24,000 geese and 3,200 pigs totaling about NT$65 million in losses.
Fishing, forestry and farming facilities suffered damage amounting to NT$1.47 million, NT$260,000, and NT$60 million respectively, the council said.
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