Johannesburg - The recent news about dairy farmers being forced to discard 12 000 litres of milk because it had gone sour and the poultry industry being forced to slaughter 10 million chickens paints a bleak picture of what most businesses face as a result of load shedding.
Managing director at Food Forward SA (FFSA), Andy Du Plessis, speaks about how load shedding is threatening food security and affecting many livelihoods.
“The real impact of load-shedding goes well beyond being unable to turn on our lights or charge our phones for a few hours a day. It’s triggering an unprecedented collapse of South Africa’s economy, infrastructure, and future. It’s threatening our fragile food security ecosystem, leaving more people in poverty and without access to healthy, nutritious food. At the same time, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has granted Eskom tariff increases of 18.65% and 12.74% over the next two years."
Du Plessis says this is expected to stretch financially strapped consumers even further, with reports suggesting some South Africans will be forced to choose between their electricity needs and food security.
“Forcing people to choose between buying food or buying electricity is not an option; it’s not sustainable, and it goes against our fundamental human rights,” adds Du Plessis.
“It’s time for South Africans to come together, take our future into our own hands, and protect the resources that we have at our disposal,” he said.
It is revealed that while there is no quick fix to the energy crisis, there is a relatively untapped opportunity in terms of timeously intercepting quality, edible surplus food from the value chain and distributing this food to those who need it to lessen the burden of household food insecurity.
He further points out that in South Africa, more than 10 million tonnes of quality food are lost or wasted throughout the supply chain every year. This amounts to one-third of all food produced in the country.
“Load shedding is not going anywhere any time soon. But we can reduce its impact on the environment and the poor.
“By partnering with farmers and other supply-chain partners, we can recover quality food and redistribute it to people who otherwise could not access or afford a nutritious meal,” he concludes.
The Star