Taiwan's agricultural losses from February cold snap total NT$160 million

Taipei, March 2 (CNA) Agricultural losses nationwide from a spell of cold and wet weather in February have reached NT$159.97 million (US$5.7 million), with fruits such as mangoes, strawberries, and pears being among the hardest hit, according to the Council of Agriculture (COA). Pingtung County suffered the most out of all areas in Taiwan, reporting NT$56.51 million in agricultural losses, or around 35 percent of the national total, as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, COA data showed. Miaoli County was next with estimated losses at NT$33.66 million, or 21 percent of the national total, followed by Taichung with NT$27.99 million in losses (17 percent), Taoyuan at NT$18.84 million (12 percent), and Hsinchu County at NT$10.59 million (7 percent), the data showed. In terms of crop types, 389 hectares of Irwin and other mango varieties were damaged, with total losses estimated at NT$40.33 million, according to the COA. Yao Chih-wang (姚志旺), deputy director of the COA's Agriculture and Food Agency, ...