TAIPEI: Financial losses suffered by Taiwan's aquaculture sector as a result of typhoon Morakot grew to NT$2.91 billion ($88.72 million) yesterday, the highest for a single typhoon over the past 18 years, according to statistics released yesterday by the Council of Agriculture (COA).

Fish farms with a combined area of 5,832 hectares were hit by the storm. Farms in Tainan, Pingtung and Kaohsiung counties, as well as Tainan city, were among the hardest-hit, the COA said.

In Pingtung's Jiadong and Linbian areas, for example, many grouper ponds were swamped by severe flooding triggered by the typhoon, allowing the expensive fish to be washed away. Rotting fish carcasses were left strewn over a wide area as floodwaters began receding.

Lin Yi-wei, a local fish farmer, estimated that the typhoon caused at least NT$20 million in losses to every fish farm in Jiadong and Linbian.

Besides aquaculture losses, typhoon Morakot has also brought crop losses totaling more than NT$2.78 billion around Taiwan, the COA said.

The COA statistics show that 49,723 hectares of farmland lost an average 27 percent of expected harvests, with the hardest-hit crops listed as papaya, guava, bamboo shoots and leafy vegetables.

Livestock losses were estimated at NT$737.59 million, with 80,815 hogs, 2.7 million chickens and 709,000 ducks killed, the COA said, adding that forestry losses were estimated at NT$16.35 million.

Meanwhile, an estimated NT$168.32 million in damage to agricultural facilities was reported, with NT$17.14 million for livestock facilities, NT$144.6 million for aquaculture facilities and NT$66.32 million for farmland, according to the COA.

China Daily/CNA