In a bid to understand the impact of load-shedding and its effects on the agriculture community in the Free State, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development held an electricity crisis dialogue, which was attended by approximately 400 farmers.

LEES OOK: Dubbelle slag vir Noordwes-boere met beurtkrag én kragvermindering

Stakeholders such as Free State Agriculture (FSA), Eskom and the Landbank were also in attendance.

The department reiterated that the agricultural sector remains an important driver that contributes positively to the country's economy. It is also known to be key in addressing inequality, poverty and unemployment.

“With electricity being a key agricultural input, comprising of more than 7% of the sector’s expenditure on intermediate goods and services a year, the consequences of load-shedding are dire.”

Suggestions made

One of the proposals was to request the removal of the diesel levy for farmers in order to mitigate and reduce input costs.

“[Another] suggestion is that Eskom will … isolate lines that go to farms and load-shed in an orderly manner. Not in the disruptive and ad-hoc way they are doing it now.

LEES OOK: Beurtkrag noop besproeiingsprodusente om Eskom van risiko’s in te lig - KYK

“So, lines to farmers will be done properly. We’ll get a schedule and they will stick to the schedule so that we don’t get farmers having to lose their produce because of load-shedding,” shared Nxangisa.

Another issue that was raised was that farms that are adjacent to each other should be grouped and arrangements should be made with Eskom with regard to power cuts.

LEES OOK: Voedselprysstygings op die kaarte weens kragonderbrekings

“There are farms where there is planting and harvesting, especially now in summer, which we agreed with Eskom that they should not load-shed and rather take their fair share in winter when [farmers] don’t do harvesting and planting… If you interrupt that process now, you are threatening food security in terms of the produce from those farms.”

According to Nxangisa, an agreement was also made that his department will find money from different departments that they were not going to spend and use it to support farmers that experienced losses as a result of load-shedding. This is while also commencing the process of installing solar panels, especially on emerging and smallholding farms.

FSA’s commercial manager dr. Jack Armour indicated that Free State farmers spend a whopping R371 million from December 2022 to January 2023, keeping operations going during load-shedding. 

“The R371 million is made up of crop losses as a result of farmers not being able to irrigate, other farmers and agribusinesses not being able to maintain cold chains and process food and forced spending on emergency alternative energy sources and the fuel to operate these.”

Northern Cape irrigation farmers

A group of irrigation farmers in the Northern Cape released a video in December, highlighting the danger of implementing load-shedding in an irregular manner.

In the footage, Eskom leaders and South Africans are informed of the possible risks for crops under irrigation.

A producer in the Douglas area, Jaco Cilliers, told OFM News that producers and their workers have to work additional hours because electricity is switched on and off at any time of the day or night.

"The load-shedding has a tremendous influence on the farmers and their workers in the Northern Cape and in surrounding areas at the moment... The people and farmers are overwhelmed... 

"Because it is a low rainfall area, we cannot really rely on rain to [water] the crops. So, we are 100% dependent on irrigation and Eskom."

Disaster declared

Meanwhile, a national state of disaster was declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the State of the Nation Address on 9 February 2023.

“A disaster declaration means limited funds get redirected to, for example, diesel for
emergency energy production while power stations are being fixed. 

"We will keep those administering and managing the funds accountable and try and ensure the funds are used effectively. 

"Where funds are desperately needed for maintaining and repairing critical
infrastructure such as roads and rural safety, we will lobby to insist that the funds remain to
address these,” says FSA in a statement after the announcement was made.

OFM News