This is according to preliminary data that Free State Agriculture has received after conducting an online survey among farmers affected by the fires. Adding to that, 67 000 hectares of veld has been burnt, 2 017 head of cattle, 1 953 sheep, and 415 head of game have died as a result of the fires. The organisation says in a statement that farmers' immediate needs are veterinary supplies, water supply, feed and feed supplements for the surviving animals until they can make alternative plans to see out the winter and until the new season’s grazing has regrown. Free State Agriculture can be contacted for contact details of the Farmer Association representatives and feed-help coordinators at various strategic drop-off points.  Furthermore, anyone wishing to assist the affected farmers, can do so by visiting the organisation's website.

READ: Runaway #fires hit Free State

At the onset of the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal, the sugar industry was in the middle of the harvesting season. This means that the more days pass that sugar cane is not milled, the more the quality deteriorates, and it could end up being lost completely. CEO of the South African Cane Growers Association, Thomas Funke, shared with OFM News last week that the Amatikulu Sugar Mill is under strict surveillance by law enforcement and the farming community following reports that protesters in the province were eyeing it. He added that there is 290 000 tons of sugar cane that needs to be milled with no mills open and the potential revenue that could be lost was standing at R234 million.

READ: Food shortages set to grip SA

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Consumers are now preferring to buy food with a longer shelf life amid the current unrest and uncertainty in South Africa. According to Denene Erasmus, editor of Farmer's Weekly, South Africans' choices include staple food such as potatoes and processed foods. She explains that Willie Jacobs, CEO of Potatoes SA, adds that if one looks at the first 26 weeks of 2021, potato sales on the produce market increased by about 3% in comparison with the same time last year.

OFM News/Olebogeng Motse