Johannesburg – The prolonged power outages are causing havoc with agricultural operations and putting the nation’s food security on the brink of collapse, prompting calls for the government to exempt farmers from load shedding.
Public participation in a non-profit organisation DearSA has led to it responding to calls to exempt agricultural sector from load shedding.
According to Gideon Joubert, CEO of Dear South Africa, they have launched a campaign to gauge public sentiment on the request that farmers be exempted from load shedding.
This follows a recent assertion made by Chris Hattingh, head of policy analysis at the Centre for Risk Analysis, that the ongoing power outages are negatively impacting the agriculture sector.
Joubert said frequent power outages are causing havoc in South Africa’s agricultural sector, with farmers preparing for the effects of ongoing power outages on output schedules, income, and delicate electronic equipment.
“The agricultural sectors most affected by load shedding are dairy farms, which are highly mechanised and require electricity for the majority of the production process, as well as milk cooling," he said.
“Fruit and vegetable farms frequently rely on temperature-controlled cold storage, especially when producing for export markets. Electricity outages have forced poultry farms to halt operations, resulting in a backlog of over 10 million chickens still alive and consuming feed, and crop farmers are unable to use their electric pumps for irrigation, resulting in irreversible crop damage and losses.
“I am deeply concerned that the current situation is unsustainable, with many South Africans facing increased expenses for produce.” If the current outages continue, South Africa’s GDP growth for the year could be limited to 1.5%.
Christo van der Rheede, CEO of Agri SA, stated that the future of the country’s food security is uncertain and that load shedding is disrupting not only irrigation but also slaughter operations, processing, packing, and cold storage of food products.
“The effects are visible on the shelves of our local stores, but an even bigger impact looms as an imminent risk to the certainty of food supply.
“The National Energy Regulator’s recent announcement of an 18.65% increase in the electricity tariff also adds pressure on agriculture,” he warned.
Van der Rheede said that while diesel-powered generators are being used as a last resort, the cost of keeping the lights on is significant.
“Expensive renewable energy like solar is not an option for many farmers, especially small-scale farmers who cannot afford alternative energy batteries or generators,” he said.
Dr Sifiso Ntombela, chief economist at the Agricultural Marketing Council, also said that the sector has already spent more than R10 billion in a year on fuel, and more than R7bn on electricity per year.
“With nearly half of the agricultural income dependent on irrigation, this means that a similar share of jobs is at risk, with the agricultural workforce of about 860 000 jobs in the sector, he said.
Joubert said farmers are calling on the government to exempt them from load shedding to avoid irreversible crop damage and losses.
“It is critical that South Africans take part in this process. Policymakers and government officials must understand the public’s position on this issue in order to make informed decisions, and gathering public opinion allows them to make decisions that accurately reflect the will of the people,” he said.
The Star