[Anchor]

The prolonged drought in North Gyeongsang Province is deepening farmers' anxieties.

Damage is spreading, particularly to major crops such as peppers and apples. TBC reporter Jeong Seong-wook has the story.

[Reporter]

This is a pepper field in Ilwol-myeon, Yeongyang-gun, which has reached the harvest season.

Walking into the field, the pepper leaves are completely turned yellow, and tiny discolored spots are visible on them.

Most of this pepper field has suffered damage from mites, which are pests that thrive in hot and dry conditions.

Mites actively lay eggs and multiply in dry environments with a humidity of around 50 percent. Due to the heatwave and drought that have continued since last month, the damage is spreading to pepper farms in northern regions, including Yeongyang.

[Lee Dae-hong / Agricultural Researcher, Yeongyang Pepper Research Institute: Above all, mites are so small that they are not easily visible. You need to carefully inspect the backs of the pepper leaves, and if mites are found, you must apply the appropriate pesticide immediately.]

A nearby vineyard has also suffered from sunburn damage.

Ahead of shipment, about 20 percent of the total production showing blemishes has to be thinned out, leaving the farmers heartbroken.

[Grape Farmer: It is practically like getting burned by the heat. Because it is so hot, it seems a bit worse than last year. It seems to get more severe as time goes on.]

The situation is similar in Cheongsong, a major apple-producing region.

Some apple farms are suffering from both sunburn and pest damage, causing deep concern.

On top of this, as the drought becomes prolonged, farmers are facing a double hardship, even waging a war to secure water.

[Hwang Gyeong-sik / Apple Farmer in Cheongsong: Water is scarce so we are fighting a water war, and sunburn is starting to show here and there due to the intense heat.]

Although the intensity of the heatwave has subsided somewhat starting this week, there is no news of refreshing rain in inland areas, leaving farmers burning with anxiety.

(Video by: Kim Young-hwan, TBC)

Jeong Seong-wook, TBC