Farm Damage from Western Japan Downpour Tops 100 B. Yen

July 23, 2018

Tokyo- Damage on the farm, forestry and fisheries industries from torrential rain and subsequent floods and mudslides mainly in western Japan has topped 100 billion yen, according to the agriculture ministry.

The amount of damage stood at 119.8 billion yen as of 5 a.m. Sunday (8 p.m. Saturday GMT), up sharply from 76.8 billion yen as of Friday morning.

The surge came as progress has been made in a damage survey in Ehime Prefecture, one of the areas hit hardest by the disaster.

Shipments of "mikan" mandarin orange, for which Ehime is a major producing area, are expected to decrease due partly to mudslide damage to orchards for the fruit, a ministry official said, pointing to the need to closely monitor the level of harvest and prices. Mikan shipments normally starts in September, according to the official.

Of the total, damage to farm products, including vegetables and fruits, came to 3.95 billion yen, and that to farmland amounted to 24.96 billion yen, according to the data announced by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry on Sunday.

Damage stood at 35.69 billion yen for farm roads, reservoirs and other farming facilities, and 1.38 billion yen for fishing ports. Jiji Press