CHIAYI, July 9 — Chiayi County has been hit hard by Typhoon Danas, with severe damage to its agricultural and fisheries sectors. According to the latest data from the Department of Agriculture, losses have already climbed to NT$551.88 million, with 1,786 hectares of farmland affected. Local farmers expressed despair, saying that a year’s worth of labor was wiped out overnight.
Agriculture Minister Chen Junji visited Chiayi today to inspect the worst-hit areas, including plantations of papaya, banana, citrus, and longan. During the visit, he promised full government support, announcing that Chiayi County will qualify for full-product disaster relief.
One papaya grower explained that all leaves on the trees were stripped by strong winds, rendering the plants unable to perform photosynthesis. As a result, over 1,800 papaya trees across more than one hectare had to be destroyed and replanted. Banana farmers, still recovering from last year’s storm impacts, lamented that despite reinforced crop protection, their entire banana fields were completely leveled by Typhoon Danas.
Minister Chen acknowledged the difficulty farmers are facing and emphasized that relief processes have been improved. Previously, applications for disaster relief were time-consuming and bureaucratic, but the Ministry of Agriculture is now streamlining the procedures to allow affected farmers to apply directly at their local township offices.
In addition to compensating crop damage, the Ministry will provide subsidies for rebuilding greenhouses and is also considering a reduction in interest rates for low-interest loans to speed up recovery.
Based on official statistics, the breakdown of damages in Chiayi County includes:
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NT$209.61 million in crop damage
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NT$147.12 million in livestock losses
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NT$195.15 million in fisheries damage
Fruits such as bananas, bamboo shoots, papayas, wax apples, guavas, and persimmons suffered heavy damage. 51 livestock farms were impacted, while 32 fishing rafts, 18 boats, 9,500 floating oyster racks, and 350 hectares of fixed oyster sheds were either overturned or destroyed.
To support recovery, the Ministry of Agriculture has declared that all agricultural products in Chiayi County—excluding rice—are eligible for cash assistance and low-interest disaster loans. Farmers will qualify if their losses exceed 20%, and applicants must be actively engaged in agricultural production.
Applications will be accepted from July 8 to July 21 (weekdays only), and farmers are encouraged to file at their respective local offices.
