Heavy Rain Floods Melon Fields in Taiwan, Chen Chi-chung Inspects Damage in Hsinchu County and Announces Cash Relief
A torrential rain on Friday dealt severe damage to muskmelons that were just one week away from harvest and market. Chen Chi-chung, minister of the Council of Agriculture, went to the Hsinchu area on Saturday to inspect the damage. Watermelons, muskmelons, and Oriental melons were all affected by the heavy rain. Based on the on-site damage conditions, the improvement station judged that the relief threshold had been reached, so it announced on the spot that Xinfeng Township, Hukou Township, and Zhubei City in Hsinchu County would be designated as areas eligible for cash relief for agricultural natural disasters, providing cash relief for damage to local watermelons, muskmelons, and Oriental melons. The Council of Agriculture also planned to work overtime to rush out the announcement so that farmers could file applications with their township offices on Monday.
The Agriculture and Food Agency of the Council of Agriculture said that the heavy rain on May 17 was initially estimated to have caused 1.299 million yuan in agricultural losses in Hsinchu County. Among these, watermelon losses were the highest at 735,000 yuan, followed by muskmelon losses at 443,000 yuan and Oriental melon losses at 121,000 yuan. Heavy rain can cause plant roots to become waterlogged, and the fruit can also show water damage. After the heavy rain, it cannot be ruled out that further damage will continue to appear.
Chen Chi-chung said in a Facebook post on Saturday that because of sudden intense rainfall in the Taoyuan and Hsinchu areas, disasters were reported one after another in some production areas. He immediately took staff to the production areas to inspect the damage. Because the on-site inspection results confirmed that the cash relief standards under the agricultural natural disaster relief regulations had been met, the Council of Agriculture worked overtime on Sunday to announce the disaster-affected areas and crops, so that farmers could file applications immediately when township offices opened on Monday. Local governments and improvement stations would also cooperate as quickly as possible in damage inspections to help farmers resume cultivation as soon as possible.
In addition to applying for cash relief, affected farmers can also receive subsidies after the disaster when they purchase organic fertilizers, microbial fertilizers, and biological control materials from their local farmers' associations for resumed cultivation, with subsidies of 12,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan per hectare. They can also apply for low-interest loans with an annual interest rate of 1.29%.
Last Friday, torrential rain poured down, and the coastal areas of Taoyuan including Xinwu, Guanyin, Dayuan, and Luzhu all reached level-one flood warnings. Taoyuan City also reported agricultural damage because of flooding, with watermelon, muskmelon, and other melon fields submerged. However, the Taoyuan City Agriculture Bureau assessed that the extent of the damage might not become clear until after the sun came out. The Council of Agriculture's Saturday damage inspection trip only went to Hsinchu County. For counties and cities not included in the inspection trip, the Agriculture and Food Agency said that county and city governments could still confirm the damage in accordance with the agricultural natural disaster relief regulations and request the Council of Agriculture to announce relief.
Chen Chi-chung inspected the damage after heavy rain in a melon field in Hsinchu County. (Photo taken from Chen Chi-chung's Facebook)