Over the weekend, a cold spree has struck China, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Temperatures dropped across Asia on Sunday by a meteorological depression coming from the North. Some cities measured the lowest temperature in over 60 years. The Southern city of Guanghzou saw snow for the first time since 1967. Inner Mongolia measured extreme temperatures with -46C. Around a hundred people have succumbed to the cold weather. Taiwan has been hit particularly bad. Temperatures dropped down to 4 degrees Celsius in Taipai, a place that normally measures 16 degrees in winter.
The cold is threatening agriculture production. Vegetable growers are expecting to sell their crop in the days up to the Chinese New Year to fetch best prices. Vegetables on the fields in the South of China have been damaged by the weather, and part of the crop has gotten lost since it has been covered by snow.
Traders at local wholesale markets in the North of the country fear that lettuce, cabbage and Chinese cabbage prices will rise steeply before the New Year celebrations. The highway connecting Kunming to Jiangxi has been closed due to the weather, increasing vegetable prices in the city. Vegetable prices in Hong Kong went up to 12,000 Yuan per ton on average, a 5% increase.
A greenhouse farmer from Hebei Province says that his cucumber plants and seedlings have been destroyed by the frost. His tomato plants have managed to withstand the weather.
Taiwan government announces disaster relief programme for farmers
The president of Taiwan announced the government will issue disaster related subsidies to help farmers cope with the weather conditions. The programme will be open from January the 6th until the 4th of February. Winter is high season for Taiwan fruit production and cold has arrived at a particularly bad time. Government officials fear that the output of oranges, Indian jujubes, wax apples, pineapples, dragon fruit, papayas, pears, strawberries, tomatoes and cabbage all have been hit.
The weather might also disrupt national travel plans in the week before and during the Chinese New Year.