Potatoes boil underground in South Korea amid heatwave
Farmers in South Korea are reeling from the impacts of an unprecedented heatwave, including finding that their potatoes have boiled while underground.
Earlier this month, a farmer in Gangwon province told local media that he found his crop had turned to mush.
Source: SBS
In his 40 years of farming, Lee Sang-hyuk has never seen anything like this before.
Source: SBS
Food crisis due to extreme heat
The heat had completely ruined multiple fields and crops.
In particular, losing his cabbages was a heartache, as they could have been worth tens of millions of won (at least S$9,100) if he had been able to sell them at a fair price.
Source: SBS
The damage goes beyond heat, as meat and fish are also dying.
According to The Korea Times, not only is food shelf life dwindling, but they are also not surviving long enough to make it to markets. Over 900,000 livestock deaths were reported last week. An additional 864,000 farmed fish deaths were also reportedly caused by higher water temperatures.
Source: The Korea Times
This has all led to a spike in food prices.
Vegetables, in particular, have surged in cost for consumers. Spinach prices have climbed over 150% while lettuce rose 41.7%.
Heatwave has also led to loss of life
Unfortunately, the effects of the extreme heat have extended well beyond food. According to DW, at least 16 people in South Korea have passed away due to the heatwave, with an additional 2,025 suffering heat-related illnesses between 15 May and 2 Aug.
The extreme weather forced authorities to issue their first-ever heatwave warning for parts of Seoul on 3 Aug.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also called for a “fundamental overhaul” of their national crisis system, noting that extreme weather is becoming normal.
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Featured image adapted from SBS and The Korea Times.
