TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) stated on Wednesday (July 31) that it will take nearly a month for vegetable prices to stabilize as replanting efforts are underway, after Typhoon Gaemi (凱米) devastated Taiwan's agricultural regions, causing significant damage to short-term leafy greens.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA, 農業部) reported that Typhoon Gaemi's impact has led to widespread crop destruction, with the total of agricultural losses surpassing NT$2.7 billion across Taiwan.
With Wednesday's vegetable arrivals at Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co., Ltd. (北農) amounting to only 982 metric tons, the average price per kilogram of vegetables reached NT$46.5, marking a six-month high.
According to the MOA's statistics, Yunlin County suffered the most significant damage, with losses amounting to NT$684.38 million, followed by Chiayi County at NT$411.07 million, and Pingtung County at NT$406.55 million.
Chen highlighted that the heavy rainfall from the typhoon severely impacted the supply of agricultural products, with up to 90% of short-term leafy vegetables heavily damaged. Farmers will need at least three to four weeks to replant, so the prices of leafy vegetables will fluctuate significantly in the near term, he explained.
