Yunlin Rice Sprouts, Clams Die After Heavy Rains; Magistrate Seeks Disaster Relief

Yunlin County, Taiwan, is grappling with severe agricultural losses following over ten days of continuous heavy rain. The downpour has caused rice crops, ready for harvest, to sprout on the stalk, rendering them unsellable to contracted buyers like Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor.

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The contracted buyers, including Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, will not purchase the rice if even one grain has sprouted. We have lost over a million dollars.

One contracted farmer, Lu Wei-kun, explained that his 15 hectares of rice, which should yield 300 kilograms per "fen" (a unit of land area) at a guaranteed price of NT$25 per kilogram, are now worthless. He estimates his personal loss to be over a million New Taiwan dollars. Chen Huan-bin, head of the Puzi branch of the Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, confirmed that while rice is flood-tolerant, mature crops are susceptible to "pre-harvest sprouting" when exposed to rain, a condition evident in the affected fields.

The agricultural woes extend to the aquaculture sector. In Kouhu and Mailiao townships, mass deaths of cultured clams have been reported. Fishermen described how the clams, ready for harvest, died off en masse after the heavy rains were followed by intense sunshine, leading to deteriorating water quality. The dead shellfish floated to the surface, emitting a foul odor. One fisherman, Lin Ching-fu, reported a complete loss of his harvest, an unprecedented disaster in his decades of farming.

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After continuous heavy rain, the sudden high temperatures caused mass deaths of cultured clams. The entire pond is wiped out, and it smells terrible. This is the most severe disaster I've encountered in decades of clam farming.

Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan visited the affected areas to assess the damage. She urged the central government to quickly implement natural disaster cash relief programs to help farmers and fishermen recover. The county is seeking assistance for crop replanting and aquaculture restoration.

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Rice has sprouted due to pre-harvest rain, and the distillery has refused to buy it. Clams have also died in large numbers due to drastic weather changes and deteriorating water quality. We hope the central government can quickly implement natural disaster cash relief to help farmers and fishermen overcome difficulties and resume farming and aquaculture soon.