Tainan plum harvest may drop below 20% after drought

The agriculture ministry declared Tainan a disaster relief area after low rainfall since late last year reduced plum yields in Nanxi’s Meiling area to less than 20% of normal levels.

Reporters reported that prolonged dry weather from late last year to early this year led to poor fruit set in Meiling orchards in Nanxi District. Officials said overall production is expected to drop sharply compared with previous years.

Tainan Agriculture Bureau Director Li Fang-lin (李芳林) said inspections confirmed widespread damage across plum-growing areas. A joint team of experts determined that conditions met the threshold for agricultural disaster relief.

Even orchards with relatively better fruit set are facing quality issues. Li said many plums remain too small to meet market standards, reducing their commercial value and limiting farmers’ income.

Reporters reported that the ministry designated Nanxi as a plum disaster relief area. Farmers who meet eligibility requirements can apply for compensation of NT$62,000 (US$1,940) per hectare from Thursday through April 17.

Local farmer Lai Jung-hsin (賴榮信) said plum trees showed strong flowering earlier in the season. However, insufficient rainfall during the fruiting period caused yields to drop sharply across many orchards.

He said some orchards are producing only 20% to 30% of normal output, while those at mid-to-low elevations have fallen below 10%. Many fruits are also undersized and unsuitable for processing, further reducing supply.

Lai added that in a typical year, large volumes of green plums would already be delivered to processing factories by this time. This year, however, supply remains limited, raising concerns about both farmer income and downstream production.