TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s agriculture ministry said Thursday that heavy rain in June caused more than NT$580 million (US$18 million) in agricultural losses.
UDN reported that two rounds of heavy rain in June damaged crops, livestock, fish farms, farmland, and private farming facilities. The ministry said losses from the late-June rain alone reached NT$452.91 million.
An earlier round of rain from June 8 to mid-June caused about NT$130 million in losses. Together, the two rain events brought total losses to about NT$583.38 million.
Pingtung County reported the heaviest damage, with losses of NT$311.12 million. It was followed by Kaohsiung with NT$80.19 million, Yunlin County with NT$50.8 million, Changhua County with NT$45.51 million, and Tainan with NT$37.64 million, per Rti.
Taoyuan reported NT$19.17 million in losses, while Hsinchu County reported NT$15.69 million. Chiayi County reported NT$11.58 million, and other local governments reported losses ranging from tens of thousands of NT dollars to several million, per Economic Daily News.
The ministry said the late-June rain caused more damage. Crop losses reached NT$293.52 million, with 3,846 hectares of farmland affected.
Guavas were the hardest-hit crop, followed by bananas, orchids, papayas, and lemons. Livestock losses reached NT$61.85 million, mainly from pigs, chickens, and ducks, CTS News reported.
Fishery losses reached NT$85.85 million, mainly from hard clams, freshwater prawns, and sea bass. The ministry also reported NT$11.48 million in losses from farmland washed away or buried, and NT$210,000 in damage to agricultural facilities.
