(Changwon=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Jeong-hoon = The Gyeongnam Province announced on the 20th that it will conduct a damage survey by the 31st before providing disaster relief funds, following the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' recognition of rice false smut as an agricultural disaster.
The agricultural authorities estimated that rice false smut broke out nationwide in July and August due to unusually high temperatures and frequent rainfall after September.
The province tentatively identified that rice false smut occurred in 4,960 hectares (8.2% of the total rice cultivation area of 62,310 hectares) across 18 cities and counties.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and local governments will provide disaster relief funds, including expenses for pesticides and replanting, after assessing the exact scale of the damage.
Rice false smut causes dark brown lesions resembling sesame seeds on rice leaves, and in severe cases, it spreads to the rice grains, leading to a decline in quality.