Taiwan: Drought Impacts Rice and Other Crops

Taiwan has experienced a serious water shortage since late 2020. For the first time in 56 years, no typhoons passed through Taiwan in 2020 to replenish its reservoirs. To conserve water, Taiwan has stopped irrigating 74,000 hectares of first crop rice in 2021, representing 24 percent of total planted area. Major crops impacted by the heat and drought since March 2021 include mango, lychee, tea, oranges, and longan, with monetary loss exceeding NT$824 million (U.S. $29.7 million). With plum rain season starting in June and typhoon season following soon after, most forecasts expect the water situation will improve in the second half of 2021.