Discarded watermelons ruined by the unusually cold weather and lack of sunshine are piled next to a greenhouse in Haman, South Gyeongsang, while rain drizzles on Wednesday. [YONHAP]
Posted on 05/01/2010 6:53:31 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Cold snap wilts crops, inflates market prices
April 30, 2010
Discarded watermelons ruined by the unusually cold weather and lack of sunshine are piled next to a greenhouse in Haman, South Gyeongsang, while rain drizzles on Wednesday. [YONHAP] |
Baby, it’s cold outside. And that’s why you’re spending more at the fruit, vegetable and fish markets.
Although the temperature yesterday was up a bit, Thursday’s high in Seoul, 7.8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit), was a record low for that date. The previous record for a cold day in April was 10.1 degrees in 1962.
It even snowed in Gangwon yesterday.
The Korea Meteorological Administration said the recent temperature drop was largely due to cold air (below 30 degrees Celsius) blowing in from Siberia, and that temperatures will likely return to normal levels by this weekend.
“In more than 30 years of harvesting I haven’t seen anything like it, and we’ve been through numerous natural disasters like storms and hail,” said Kim Joong-bong, 51, a persimmon and pear farmer who represents the farming community in Sangju, North Gyeongsang. According to the Korea Advanced Farmers Federation, North Gyeonsgang is the area most affected by the recent cold snap.
“Some of the pear farms have suffered tremendously,” said Kim, “with more than 90 percent of their trees dying.”
According to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, damage to onion and Korean black raspberry crops in March totaled 2.6 billion won ($2.3 million). More damage estimates will be made in May.
“It’s hard to tell how much of the agricultural goods have been affected by the recent temperature drop since we need to wait until the flowers blossom,” said an official with the agriculture ministry, requesting anonymity. “But one thing for sure is that the damage will be enormous compared to previous years.” Farmers have been having trouble with bad weather and lack of sunshine since last December.
Crop damage and poor yields have led to skyrocketing prices, as the accompanying chart shows. Fish prices are affected, too, because fish are sensitive to changes in water temperature.
However, some industries are benefiting from the freaky weather.
Lotte Department Store said 50 percent of its stock of clothing worn in both winter and spring have sold in just 20 days of being put on sale, and 65 percent of its down jackets. Leather jackets are hot sellers, although they’re normally off the shelves by now. Spring lines aren’t selling well at all.
Auction, an Internet shopping mall, has experienced heavy demand for fried dumplings, normally a winter treat.
The agriculture ministry said it will provide 156.7 billion won as subsidies and loan for farms damaged by the endless winter, and provide special loans worth 190 billion won from its disaster emergency management budget.
Don’t know about South Korea, but here in Southern New Mexico, it got down to 25 degrees overnight - I’m afraid to go out and look at my garden this morning... :~(
P!
I wonder if the volcanic dust cloud is dropping temps up North?
Agriculture in northern climes could benefit from global warming. Agriculture everywhere cannot survive global cooling and lack of sunshine for seed germination and plant growth. Some scientists are warning that the cap and trade limits on pollutants could damage the blanket of air that keeps soil warm...a typical unintended consequence of big-government ignorance in legislating “cures” that are worse than the problems they intended to fix.
I bet you thought the global warming lies would save you, didn’t you.
The good news is, Koreans know how to compost the plant material and recycle it as kimchi.
Warm globally, cool locally./s
Weather has been strange here in SC lately, Tuesday was so cool some people wore a jacket all day long, today the high is supposed to be 88 and tomorrow 95. We haven’t had a good rain since back in March. I am trying to grow cantaloupes on a quarter of an acre and I have to use a water hose to get the seed to germinate. Plowing eight inches deep turns up no real moisture, we had about eight tenths of an inch of rain at my house for the past five weeks. If it doesn’t rain soon I may as well forget it, I don’t have an irrigation system that will compensate for zero rain.
North Korea is presumably far worse with the cold weather food production problem.
Ike, I’m in Roswell, we are just now putting the garden out almost 3 acres.
Everyone around here planted early and the wind over the last few days just beat the heck out of the plants, I hope its now time but we will see.
Thanks to the American Farmer, WE have so many foodstuffs and feedstuffs that we can burn them to heat our homes and fuel our cars AND WE STILL HAVE TOO MUCH!
Hey I have question for you! When did the farmers plant the Hatch Green Chile plants?
Hey I have question for you! When did the farmers plant the Hatch Green Chile plants?
Yeah in SO CAL it been pretty chilly with high cold winds I was suprise about South Korea having cold snap
Were planting some this week and starting some inside.
I'm going to put some back for the green house, we might have them all year!
Lol.
Ping.
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