Agriculture
Drought has driven home the value of the agri sector─── SABRINA DEAN 16:28 Wed, 30 Nov 2016
Bloemfontein - Improved sentiments about the value and importance of the agriculture sector are largely as a result of the impact of the drought.
Agricultural economist, Dr Kobus Laubscher, says consumers have quite literally felt the impact of the drought on their pockets.
He says the better-off can afford the more expensive food or purchase imported products. The poor, however, are forced to go hungry.
Laubscher says one thing the drought has done is to hammer home the important role played by farmers.
“I remain convinced it was the drought that has convinced our Government and other roleplayers that we need to take better care of our farmers. They have realised if the farmers are not going to produce food we are in trouble.
“On the other hand, a lot can be said about our farmers who, in spite of a lot of uncertainty, put their shoulders to the wheel and produced food - this while circumstances were, to a large extent, against them.”