Heavy rains damage crops in the western part of Oita Prefecture.

A record heavy rain from the beginning of this month caused major damage to agricultural products, mainly in the western part of Oita Prefecture, and a large amount of sediment has flowed into the rice fields in Takeda City.

In the rice field of Mr. Yoshiharu Eto in Kusumi-cho, Takeda City, after a large amount of muddy water flowed in on the 7th of this month, the soil covered the entire surface.

The rice that had grown to a height of about 40 cm before the heavy rain was completely buried in the soil, and it is no longer known that there were rice fields.

According to Mr. Eto, the river that flows through the nearby mountains was dammed by driftwood and rocks, and it is thought that the overflowing water flowed into the rice field along with a large amount of earth and sand.

About one-third of the rice fields owned by Mr. Eto, 55 ares are damaged, and there is no prospect of removing soil.

Mr. Eto said, "This is my first time and I can't believe it's my rice field yet. I have a feeling that I can't do anything because it's a natural disaster and I don't know what to do from now on."

Damage to agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry: More than 2.2 billion yen as of 14th

The prefecture's survey found that the amount of damage to the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries in Oita prefecture due to this heavy rain was estimated to be more than 2.2 billion yen as of the 14th.

In response to the heavy rain, Oita Prefecture dispatched staff to the site to check the situation and interview with farmers, etc., and summarized the estimated damage amount of agriculture, forestry and fisheries as of 14th. ..

As a result, the total number of damages, including related facilities such as agriculture, forestry and marine products and farmland, was 19,10, and the damage amounted to approximately 2,261 million yen.

<Breakdown>
▽Agricultural damage amounted to about 1.67 billion yen
▽Forestry was about 427 million yen
▽Fishery was about 163 million yen.

<By region>
Damage has been confirmed in a wide range, mainly in the western part of the prefecture, such as Kuju-cho, which has the largest damage of approximately 554 million yen, and Hita and Takeda.

Among them, many of the crops were damaged by rice, and the water overflowing from the river flowed into the rice fields along with a large amount of earth and sand, and the rice was used in the water for a long time.

In addition, many items such as tomatoes, leeks, and shiitake mushrooms have been damaged.

Oita Prefecture "Damage amount will increase"

The prefecture says, "In the western part of the prefecture, there are areas where staff members have not been confirmed yet, so it is expected that the amount of damage will increase as the investigation progresses."