The plight of a 69-year-old farmer who attempted to commit suicide after being unable to salvage his crops in time to avoid further damage caused by the recent rains has attracted officials’ attention to the delayed delivery of mechanical reapers to farmers.

The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that the farmer from Dounan Township (斗南) in Yunlin County, surnamed Lin (林), drank pesticide in a fit of despair the night after he had waited in vain for mechanical reapers that never arrived.