Frontal Taiwan wind and rain to Taiwan's agricultural loss of 33.38 million, the damage area of rice in the first phase of Gaoshi will start drone disaster survey

The front brought heavy rain, and the agricultural disaster expanded, and the Council of Agriculture gathered all counties and cities to report agricultural losses. according to statistics, as of the evening of the 21st, agricultural losses amounted to 33.38 million yuan, of which agricultural losses in Kaohsiung City were as high as 15.06 million, accounting for nearly half of the total! The agricultural disaster was mainly caused by the loss of agricultural products of 27.67 million yuan, and the rice in the first stage of the harvest was the biggest victim, with a loss of more than 16 million. The Council of Agriculture has announced the handling of cash assistance, and applications can be made in some areas of Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County and Kaohsiung City.

The damage area of crops has reached 830 hectares, the first stage of rice cropping is the most damaged, followed by papaya, watermelon, Zizania caduciflora bamboo shoots and muskmelon. Premier Su Tseng-chang inspected Taoyuan Xinwu, Guanyin District and other producing areas on the 21st and instructed the Council of Agriculture and the Taoyuan municipal government to complete the disaster survey and grant relief funds as soon as possible to assist in the restoration of farming. Chen Jizhong, chairman of the Council of Agriculture, also went to Meinung's rice farming area to understand the situation and asked the Agricultural Experimental Institute to initiate drone survey within three days after the announcement, and the photos would be provided to the Southern District Branch of the Agriculture and Food Department and the District Public Office to speed up the disaster compensation process.

The torrential rain coincided with the first phase of rice harvest in Meinung, Qishan and Cunninghamia lanceolata areas. The Kaohsiung Municipal Bureau of Agriculture initially estimated that about 380 hectares were damaged and 300 hectares in Meinung. Because rice is easy to sprout on the ear after lodging, many farmers will rush to harvest, making it difficult to determine the damage. Yang Ya-hsun, head of the crop production Section of the Southern District Branch of the Agriculture and Food Department, explained that the damage area will be photographed first through drones to shorten the time for public office personnel to investigate disasters, so that farmers can get cash assistance as soon as possible.

According to the statistics of disasters in various counties and cities, agricultural losses of more than 15 million in Kaohsiung were the worst, followed by losses of 6.58 million yuan in Nantou County, 5.72 million yuan in Hsinchu County, 3.07 million yuan in Taoyuan City, and an initial estimate of agricultural losses in Tainan City and Taichung City. Changhua County, Chiayi County, and New Taipei City also spread small-scale disasters.

The Council of Agriculture has announced that Guanyin District, Xinwu District, Xinfeng Township, Hukou Township, and Zhubei City in Taoyuan City are cash relief areas for melons, muskmelons and watermelons, and Yangmei District is an area for cash assistance for melons and watermelons. Rice in Meinong District, Qishan District and Shanlin District of Kaohsiung City accords with cash assistance.

In addition, the Committee of Agriculture said that if farmers need fertilizers, they can apply to local farmers' associations for subsidies of 12000 yuan per hectare for organic fertilizers, 5000 yuan for microbial fertilizers and 5000 yuan for biological control materials per hectare. If there is a need for funds for restoration, they can also apply for low-interest loans. Various branches of the Agriculture and Food Department also have technical service teams to provide assistance in post-disaster ploughing.