Water
Urgent action needed to
address drought conditions
in South Africa
“
The ability of South
African
farmers
to
continue
producing
at the levels needed
to maintain national food
security is threatened by the
high probability of a second
consequent year of drought
across many regions”, said Agri
SA president Johannes Möller
in November.
In drought-stricken regions such as those
in the North West, Free State and KwaZulu Natal provinces, farmers are exposed
to severe financial losses which have
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SABI | DECEMBER 2015/JANUARY 2016
made it very difficult for them to operate
their businesses sustainably or to meet
their obligations to financial institutions.
These financial institutions may in turn
limit production credit for the coming
season which means that in the season to
come, farmers will face severe financial
constraints coupled with inadequate
water resources. Möller warned that, left
unmitigated, these factors would result in
lower crop production, labour shedding
and rising food prices as has been the
case in this year.
“This is a serious situation and we call for
urgent interventions to lend assistance to
affected farmers, both established and
emerging”, said Möller. Agri SA has been
closely monitoring climatic developments
and has already begun a process
to engage with financial institutions,
agricultural industry representatives,
government stakeholders and disaster risk
specialists.
Möller expressed that through this
process, Agri SA aimed to reach a solution
that would enable the continuation of
a vibrant agricultural sector. “While we
acknowledge current fiscal constraints,
we urge government to prioritise disaster
relief to agriculture as a mechanism
of enhancing food security and
promoting prosperous rural economies”,
expressed Möller.