HEAT WAVE DAMAGES FARMS

[Anchor Lead]

The prolonged heat wave is taking a toll on farms in Korea. Damage from the sweltering weather is growing, and so is farmers’ anxiety.

[Pkg]

This orchard has some two thousand apple and pear trees. The fruits are already the size of a fist. But the edges of the leaves have turned brownish. They have burned in the sun, as daytime highs reach 36 degrees Celsius. The farmer uses 20 tons of water daily to keep the orchard cool, but to no avail. Each fruit is wrapped in plastic to protect it from burning.

[Soundbite] Kim Sun-bae(Orchard owner) : "Fruits grow better when the gap between morning and daytime temperatures is wide. If the weather remains hot, they will stop growing and the harvest will dwindle in size."

The situation is similar at corn fields. The leaves have become dry and yellow, and the cobs are missing kernels. This happened because of poor pollination, as precipitation this year is only 35 percent of the average level, while heat waves now last longer. The farmer has no means to install a protective shield alone, with no one to lend a helping hand.

[Soundbite] Kim Jong-min(Corn farmer) : "My crops will die unless it rains. I can’t keep watering them. It’s tough."

The harvested corn is not in good condition, either. The size is inconsistent, and many cobs miss kernels. If the heat wave continues into early August, corn production this year will likely plummet to half the average amount.

[Soundbite] Choi Jae-keun(Gangwon-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services) : "We expect the amount of good-quality crops to decrease significantly this year. As the scorching weather intensifies, farmers continue to grow worried."

As the scorching weather intensifies, farmers continue to grow worried.