Spokespeople from Agri SA have made clear that should the South Africa government continue to fail to solve the problem of the rolling blackouts implemented by the Eskom, South Africans can expect crop failure, higher food prices and shortages of certain food products in the near future.
The agricultural organisation’s executive director, Christo van der Rheede, said on Tuesday that a declaration of a state of disaster alone would not avert this threat; what was required was a targeted relief. According to iol.co.za, he said load shedding had more than doubled between January and September last year compared to the same period in 2021. “As a result of this catastrophe, the agricultural sector lost more than R23 billion during the nine-month period under review. This loss could be exceeded in 2023, threatening the sustainability of the sector and the 800 000 jobs it provides.”
As President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation Address (Sona) this week, Agri SA says the only way to guarantee food security in South Africa will be an announcement of immediate action by the government and Eskom to alleviate the crippling burden of load shedding on farmers.
Source: iol.co.za