Taiwan cutting water supply for irrigation on some rice farms due to water shortage

The Water Resource Agency (WRA) Taiwan announced on Oct. 14 that the supply of pipe-born water for the irrigation of rice fields in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli is being suspended due to low level in the reservoirs that supply to the area. The water supply is being gradually discontinued starting on Oct. 14, and will be cut off entirely by Oct. 21.

According to Deputy Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-Jih, the decision was difficult but necessary as the accumulated rainfall from June to early October in 2020 in the catchment areas near the three counties was only 20-60% of the average in the recent years.

The supply of water for crop irrigation on some 19,000 hectares of rice farmland in the three counties, therefore, is being suspended until the end of 2020, which is expected to affect about 20,000 farmers, Chen said.

With the water supply disruption coming during the second planting season of the year, July to mid-November, the central government will offer subsidies of US$3,478 per hectare, up to a total of 13,000 hectares, according to the WRA.

Rice farms in Taiwan typically use about 12,000-15,000 metric tons of water per hectare for irrigation, according to the Council of Agriculture (COA).
Due to climate change, it is the first time since 1964 that Taiwan has not experienced a typhoon during the wet season, which runs from May to October, according to the WRA.