Farmers suffer major losses in second rice planting due to wind and rain.

Sean Scanlan

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Rice crops in Hualien and Taitung have suffered from torrential rains and winds associated with Typhoon Kong-rey, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

In Hualien County, the losses from the second rice planting have been estimated to be more than NT$118 million. The worst hit was Yuli and Fuli Township, where 30–40% of rice paddies were severely damaged, per Hakka News.

According to the MOA, 3,460 hectares of second rice planting were damaged. Meanwhile, 3,700 hectares of other crops such as corn and buckwheat were damaged of similar value.

Fuli Township Farmers’ Association Director-General Chang Su-hua (張素華) said most of the second-stage rice crop had yet to mature and could not be harvested. After the typhoon, winds and rain caused the rice to fall over in the field, causing heavy losses.

Furthermore, the farmers’ association and private rice mills were also damaged by the typhoon, with equipment becoming soaked in water. With power interruptions, harvested rice could not be dried as farmers feared secondary damage such as pre-harvest sprouting and poor rice milling yields.

To reduce the losses for farmers, the Agriculture and Food Agencies (AFA) Eastern Region Branch will begin rice acquisition from Nov. 5-18. The AFA Eastern Region Branch said 2,300 kg of japonica rice have been purchased from disaster-affected rice paddies for NT$22 per kilogram, and 2,400 kg of surplus rice have been purchased for NT$20.6 per kilogram, per CNA.

If farmers have yet to declare their second rice planting during this period, they can contact the farmers’ associations of each township to apply for subsidies from Nov. 5-14. Farmers who need to sell rice affected by the typhoon must do so by the deadline.

The AFA Eastern Region Branch stated that if farmers’ rice is so badly affected by the typhoon with quality failing to meet harvest quality standards, they can go to the local public grain merchants to sell the rice. If the grain merchants do not have drying equipment or cannot dry it well, they can contact the nearby public grain merchants to undertake such processes.

Published Date: November 5, 2024