Farmers in the Northern Cape are counting their losses after the Orange River in the province flooded. While the extent of the damage farmers suffered has not yet been determined, one farmer says the loss is insurmountable.
Wilco Fourie, farmer and chairperson of the Orange River Agricultural Union, tells Food For Mzansi that farm areas such as Keimoes, Upington and Kakamas have been the worst affected.
“At this stage, it is still difficult to determine the extent of the damage because the water has not receded decently yet. We are busy doing an assessment on how many hectares have been affected,” Fourie said.
Second time this year
This is not the first time that the Orange River has flooded. In February, farmers in the area recorded R150 million worth of damage as a direct result of the floods. According to Fourie, this year’s water level is higher compared to earlier this year.
“There are a lot of hectares that have been affected. The permanent crops, such as the vines are affected but the grapes are not under water, it’s just that there is water in the vineyard.”
He said most farmers suffered damages to corn, lucerne and cotton.
“I lost about 20 hectares that are underwater, two hectares of maize and 10 hectares of grazing land. At this stage, we have no structural damage.”
Maize is an annual crop and most of the affected maize was planted in the last month, Fourie pointed out.
When it comes to lucerne, too much water can have a devastating impact on the crop’s lifespan.
“Lucerne is sensitive to too much water. It’s a crop that should last you up to five seasons, but if [it is flooded with water] it can shorten its time enormously depending on how long the water has been over it … You can lose up to three years of production possibly.”
Is this the last flood?
What makes it difficult is that downpours have only just started in the summer rainfall regions and farmers are worried about the road ahead.
“It’s the earliest we’ve had a flood since the dam was built and it makes it difficult. It has now rained heavily again in the Gauteng area and the river’s levels are going to rise again.”
Food For Mzansi spoke to Zandisile Luphahla, spokesperson for the Northern Cape department of agriculture and rural development, who said that they are monitoring the situation.
“We receive daily updates from the department of water and sanitation in terms of the river levels and flow to determine the risk. There are a few affected areas and one self-built levee has broken.
“It is too early to do any assessments. As we always caution, proper assessments can only be done after the water recedes,” he said.
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