Taipei, June 7 (CNA) Agricultural losses in Taiwan from days of torrential rain recently have topped NT$200 million (US$6.63 million), the Council of Agriculture (COA) said in a revised estimate Wednesday.
The figure was revised from NT$160 million a day earlier, mainly due to new reports of erosion of farmland and damage to Kyoho grapes, according to the COA.
As of Wednesday, the agricultural losses and damage to farm facilities caused by the torrential rain last weekend was NT$212.14 million, the COA said.
Nantou County in central Taiwan suffered the heaviest losses of NT$67.62 million, or 32 percent of the total nationwide, it said.
Neighboring Yunlin County reported NT$29.37 million in agricultural losses, followed by southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung City with NT$23.35 million, New Taipei in the north with NT$20.32 million and eastern Taiwan's Taitung County with NT$16.74 million, the COA said.
Crop damage accounted for most of the losses, with 4,523 hectares of farmland and NT$139.86 million-worth of crops damaged, it said.
Watermelon farmers took the biggest hit, suffering crop losses of NT$23.14 million and damage to 390 hectares of farmland, the COA said. Other crops damaged include rice, Kyoho grapes and ginger, it added.
Meanwhile, the livestock sector suffered NT$9.47 million in losses, largely due to the death of chickens, geese and pigs, the COA said.
Losses in fish products reached NT$1.76 million, it said.
Other losses were estimated at NT$61.05 million, from factors such as flooding or erosion of farmland, mainly in Nantou, Taitung, Kaohsiung and New Taipei, as well as damage to farm facilities, mostly in Nantou, Chiayi and Yunlin counties, the COA said.
