Non-stop summer rain leaves Hong Kong farmers with heavy losses as crops fail
Local farmers have suffered six-figure losses because of extreme downpours since May, with a farm in northern Hong Kong flooded for seven hours during heavy rain on Sunday. Leung Yat-shun of Shun Sum Yuen farm in Yuen Long said on Monday that efforts to grow tens of thousands of sunflowers had been a washout since May, with precipitation in July alone having already surpassed typical levels by 23…
Farmers in Hong Kong have faced devastating losses due to intense rainfall since May, with a farm in Yuen Long suffering a financial setback of hundreds of thousands of dollars. One farmer, Leung Yat-shun, reported that his sunflower-growing efforts had been ruined after seven hours of continuous rain on Sunday. The farm, which is about the size of four football pitches, had lost an estimated HK$300,000, and the continual flooding prevented the sunflowers from growing despite multiple plantings.
The excessive rainfall in July alone surpassed typical levels by 23%. Another farm, Blue Girl Organic Farm, experienced a loss of at least HK$600,000 in the past six months due to constant downpours and torrential rain. Founder Flora Wong Wah-fong stated that the excessive rainfall made farming extremely difficult, leading to the failure of resilient summer crops.
The farm also lost revenue due to inadequate sunlight, which caused cucumbers to develop mold and wilt. Despite investing in rain shelters, Wong's investments were also destroyed by the torrential downpour. Both farmers expressed difficulty in securing government relief due to the small scale of their operations. Leung hopes residents will support them by visiting their farm in September as they replant their sunflowers.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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