Since September of last year, over 4,000 hectares of peanut plants in Yunlin County have been found withered and infected with diseases. After an inspection conducted by the Council of Agriculture, the ozone content in the air is to blame for the severe damages, with the local residents now suspecting the pollution to be the result of the plant fire that occurred last year.

Yunlin County is one of Taiwan's top peanut producers, but roughly 4,000 hectares of peanut crops in the Yuanchang, Baochung, and Beigang areas withered last fall.

Local farmers believe that pollution from the fire at Formosa Plastics' sixth naphtha cracker plant is to blame.

The Yunlin County Agriculture Department sent samples to the Council of Agriculture for testing last October, and the COA determined that the problem was caused by ozone content in the air.

However, it was unable to conclusively determine a relationship between the ozone and the fire.

The Yunlin County Environmental Protection Bureau says that while yellowed peanut leaves don't result in safety issues, the area's peanut production has fallen by at least 30%.

The township offices of Yuanchang, Baochung, and Beigang are seeking compensation from the EPB, and hope that Formosa Plastics can show sincerity in resolving this public nuisance issue.

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