South Africa’s farmers are entering the summer crop planting season and the electricity crisis could affect food security a few months down the line unless farmers know exactly what’s coming. This is according to Agri SA, who said in a statement this week that its leadership had written to Eskom CEO André de Ruyter. Agri SA urgently wants to know the projected extent of load shedding in the coming weeks so farmers can make appropriate plans to counter it.
According to figures from the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development, the country’s food producers spent about R9 billion on electricity in 2021. This, says Agri SA, shows that electricity is a critical component of farming and that a reliable power supply is especially critical for irrigation and water treatment.
The impact
The organisation fears “potentially devastating” consequences from the current round of load shedding, as the impact already extends just the hours of power interruption.
“It usually takes up to an hour to resume irrigation systems when load shedding ends, costing farmers time, and incurring additional labour costs.
“Blackouts also disrupt cooling and packing with ramifications for food quality, and they pose a health hazard for humans and animals alike as they disrupt access to clean water for consumption and stop wastewater treatment.”
In terms of goods that is destined for overseas countries, the consequences include cold chain protocols that cannot be adhered to, and shipment delays. The long-term effect could be damage to South Africa’s standing as a reliable exporter.
Food security
“Ultimately, the greatest threat of load shedding is to the country’s food security,” Agri SA says.
“As crops fail for lack of irrigation or farmers plant less for fear of losses, the country will only experience the consequences of load shedding in the future as the produce anticipated from this summer’s crop fails to materialise. The result will be food shortages and high prices.”
Meanwhile, farmers want to know what will happen after Eskom’s planned procurement of 1000MW from the private sector as the stabilisation of the grid through the upcoming season will impact them directly.
“Given the magnitude of what’s at stake, Agri SA has approached Eskom for engagement in order to understand the current challenges and gain some insight into the outlook for the year so the sector can make plans to mitigate the risks, protecting both food consumers and producers.
“We trust that the power utility and government will work with us to avert a food certainty crisis in addition to the ongoing power crisis.”
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