Heatwave causes damage to nationwide crop, fish production
- 6 years ago
Extreme heat hovering near 40 degrees Celsius is starting to threaten Korea's agriculture production ... leading to concerns that it'll prompt price hikes during the latter half of this year.
The government says it's devising measures to tackle the problem.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
The scorching heat could effect Korea's food supply this year.
In its latest July report, the Korea Rural Economic Institute projected apple production nationwide would decrease by 14-percent from last year, while the estimated number of pears produced would fall by 20-percent, grapes by 7-percent and peaches by 10-percent.
And it's not just fruits, production of vegetables, which was hit by heavy rain in the spring, has also been affected by the heatwave.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says production of radishes, an essential ingredient for the Korean staple food kimchi, is to be further affected. The crop's cultivation area has already shrunk by nearly 10-percent compared to last year.
Cabbages, another main ingredient for kimchi, are said to be decaying due to pathogenic diseases, causing the crops to become mushy with a distinctive smell.
The heatwave has also caused hundreds of fish to die as the water containing them boiled for days.
Some four-hundred fish are estimated to have perished... in fish farms of Cheonsu-man Bay, located in Korea's western region of Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do Province... as the water temperature is reaching the dangerous threshold of 28 degrees Celsius.
The temperature of the nearby West Sea is projected to have risen one-degree per day on average.
With this, the ministry says it's running its Agriculture Damage Emergency Control Operation Team until mid-October to strengthen its monitoring of heatwave damage and come up with corresponding measures.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.
The government says it's devising measures to tackle the problem.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
The scorching heat could effect Korea's food supply this year.
In its latest July report, the Korea Rural Economic Institute projected apple production nationwide would decrease by 14-percent from last year, while the estimated number of pears produced would fall by 20-percent, grapes by 7-percent and peaches by 10-percent.
And it's not just fruits, production of vegetables, which was hit by heavy rain in the spring, has also been affected by the heatwave.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says production of radishes, an essential ingredient for the Korean staple food kimchi, is to be further affected. The crop's cultivation area has already shrunk by nearly 10-percent compared to last year.
Cabbages, another main ingredient for kimchi, are said to be decaying due to pathogenic diseases, causing the crops to become mushy with a distinctive smell.
The heatwave has also caused hundreds of fish to die as the water containing them boiled for days.
Some four-hundred fish are estimated to have perished... in fish farms of Cheonsu-man Bay, located in Korea's western region of Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do Province... as the water temperature is reaching the dangerous threshold of 28 degrees Celsius.
The temperature of the nearby West Sea is projected to have risen one-degree per day on average.
With this, the ministry says it's running its Agriculture Damage Emergency Control Operation Team until mid-October to strengthen its monitoring of heatwave damage and come up with corresponding measures.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.