Taipei, Oct. 3 (CNA) The estimated agricultural losses from Typhoon Megi, which swept through Taiwan on Sept. 27, has risen to nearly NT$3.36 billion (US$107.16 million), prompting the Council of Agriculture (COA) to introduce several assistance measures to help farmers recover from the typhoon damage, the COA said Monday.

As of 6 p.m. Monday, agricultural losses caused by the damage from the storm had reached NT$3.359 billion, according to the COA.

Yunlin County in western Taiwan suffered the heaviest losses at NT$667.5 million, followed by Chiayi County in the south at NT$564.01 million, Changhua County at NT$445.17 million, Yilan County at NT$328.42 million, Taichung City at NT$298.25 million and Kaohsiung City at NT$296.36 million, the COA said.

Crop damage accounted for most of the losses, with 59,291 hectares of farmland and NT$2.78 billion-worth of crops damaged, according to the COA.

Meanwhile, the total damage to agricultural facilities was estimated at NT$138.2 million, with Kaohsiung, Yunlin and Tainan suffering the heaviest losses, according to the COA.

In anticipation of an insufficient supply of garlic next year due to reduced production caused by inclement weather conditions this year, the COA plans to provide a subsidy of NT$36,000 per hectare for garlic farmers whose agricultural land has been affected by the storm so they can carry out recovery activities, according to COA Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲).

The Council will also offer NT$24,000 per hectare in subsidy for soybean and black soybean farmers to help them recover from the damage caused by the storm, Chen added.

The COA will also hand out subsidies ranging from NT$450,000-NT$5.5 million to help farmers rebuild six types of agricultural facilities.

Typhoon Megi made landfall on Sept. 27 in Hualien County in eastern Taiwan, causing seven deaths and 625 injuries and leaving 4.22 million households without power before moving westward toward mainland China on Sept. 28.

(By Chen Cheng-wei and Evelyn Kao)
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