Alwyn Kraamwinkel, CEO of the South African Milk Processors' Organisation, highlighted to Farmer's Weekly the anticipated nature of load-shedding due to the stressed power grid. However, the unexpected intensity and lack of warning have affected some producers.
"Load-shedding should not have a major impact on commercial primary and secondary producers, as most of these by now have invested in generators and/or other alternative energy systems. Using these alternatives, nevertheless, will drive up production costs," Kraamwinkel stated.
Jannie Strydom, CEO of Agri Western Cape, noted that farmers are generally better prepared, though these measures impact farm finances. "We are currently in the middle of the wine and pome fruit harvesting seasons in the Western Cape, so packhouses and cellars will be forced to use alternative energy systems to alleviate the impact of load-shedding."
Strydom mentioned that irrigation is not a major concern for current harvests but remains critical for later varieties. "Some late apple and pear varieties are harvested up until April and they must continue to receive sufficient irrigation water."
>Both Kraamwinkel and Strydom anticipate an end to load-shedding by the week's close, as Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa indicated. Ramokgopa clarified that Eskom's maintenance plan, not sabotage, led to generation unit losses at Majuba and Camden power stations.
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane explained the overload on a transformer caused a domino effect. "We understand the exact nature of how the event came about, and will be diving deeper into ensuring that, from a system design perspective, we can contain such occurrences going forward," Marokane said.
Source: Farmer's Weekly