In Free State, a province of South Africa, Free State Agriculture (FSA) has welcomed the news that the province has been declared a drought disaster area. This follows a notice issued by the provincial department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) in the Free State to all municipal managers last week to inform them of the declaration.
In response to this notice, all municipalities were tasked with convening special council meetings declaring the drought a disaster at municipal level through formal council resolutions.
Francois Wilken, FSA president, said the association’s representatives had already started gathering information from their members, including applications that would be submitted for assistance.
According to an article on farmersweekly.co.za, the association’s main concerns, however, included the form assistance would take, who would receive aid, and whether government had the necessary funds to provide assistance to drought-stricken farmers.