A decision by the director of disaster management and climate change in the department of agriculture, Dr I.B. Kgakatsi, to ground the two helicopters currently spraying locust swarms, has drawn a strong reaction from organised agriculture.
In a strongly worded statement by the president Peter Cloete, Agri Eastern Cape is calling for immediate intervention, including the possible removal of Kgakatsi from his role.
According to Cloete, they were informed on Tuesday, 22 March that the two helicopters had been grounded on the instructions of Kgakatsi. “The rationale for this decision cannot be understood given the fact that we are currently experiencing the largest outbreak recorded,” Cloete said.
He added that there had been no communication with the control teams on the ground or the relevant role players regarding this decision.
“Although we understand that Sumi Alpha is in short supply, there is still currently enough to spray up to 2000ha,” Cloete said. Sumi Alpha is a concentrate used for the control of insects in crops.
“If Dr Kgakasti is going to continue working against the affected role players, who are trying to assist the department, then he needs to be removed from his current position and placed somewhere were poor decision making is not going to affect food security within South Africa,” Cloete said
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Resumption of aerial spraying
Many of the affected farmers, Cloete pointed out, have just come through a seven-year drought and are now having their first available fodder in years eaten up by locusts.
“The continued aerial spraying in the areas with available poison has been deemed, by those in control on the ground, as the best option at the moment.”
Agri EC cautioned that the entire handling of the current and recent locust outbreak had been poorly managed by the department of agriculture, under the leadership of Kgakatsi.
Organised agriculture, he said, had done everything in their power to assist where they can. However, their efforts had been hampered by poor resource management and communication from Kgakatsi, alleged Cloete.
“As such we are calling for the immediate resumption of aerial spraying activities and clarity on exactly what the issue is with further pesticide procurement and where organised agriculture can assist the department,” said Cloete.
Agri Eastern Cape wants the head of the department along with minister of agriculture to take ownership of the problem and urgently intervene to ensure that management and coordination of resources at ground level is better handled and organised.
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