Eskom's continuing trend of rolling power cuts was putting severe strain on farmers' ability to irrigate crops. In effect, Agri Northern Cape says farmers desperately need more electricity to stave off a disaster in the region's agricultural food production. The non-profit organization stressed that Eskom's continuing trend of rolling power cuts was putting severe strain on farmers' ability to irrigate crops, which they stood to lose if they did not receive the necessary volumes of water.
According to ewn.co.za, Agri Northern Cape president Nicol Jansen explained that the crops needed about 40 to 50 millimeters of water per week and it was impossible for farmers to meet this demand due to power cuts. Jansen fears the availability of these produce locally and for export will be affected.
Eskom recovery will take some time
Eskom Board Chairperson Mpho Makwana says the power utility is exploring the possibility of permanently implementing Stages 2 and 3 of load shedding over the next two years in order to give power stations the “headroom” to address power station maintenance and ensure predictability for South Africans.
Makwana assured South Africans that teams at power stations around the country are “working hard to get better” reliability.
Source: sanews.gov.za