Typhoon in Okinawa causes minimum mango and pineapple damage

Last Tuesday, the powerful typhoon Neoguri hit the Japanese island chain of Okinawa, bringing torrential rain and winds of up to 252km/h. The typhoon is also expected to reach the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, posing a serious risk of heavy rain and flooding.

The typhoon has arrived at the start of Miyakojima’s mango harvest period, although growers were prepared, as a "special alert" is given for such storms. "No fruit has fallen from the trees; however, there may be indirect damage, as the planes loaded with harvested mangoes are not able to depart, and are thus likely to become over-ripe and not reach the client within 4 days after the harvest" said a mango grower.

Another grower, founder of Daihari Farms, explains that “I had only harvested 10% of the fruit so far, which at the moment is kept in cool chambers. The fruit’s freshness will hopefully not be too affected until the typhoon passes and flights can be resumed.”

Other crops, including sugarcane and pineapple, have also been affected, although the damage is expected to stay to a minimum.