26 January 2024
Dairy farmers in KwaZulu-Natal are struggling to get their milk to processors due to extreme weather conditions damaging roads.
Large parts of the province have endured heavy rain, severe thunderstorms, lightning, strong winds and hail over the last six weeks, and farmers and food service providers are grappling with the aftermath of significant damage to logistics and operations infrastructure, including roads.
According to David de Jager, the CEO of Tip-Top Milk, a logistics and milk testing company, the severe damage to farm roads makes it difficult to reach farmers to collect their milk, leading to supply chain disruptions.
“We have received reports from farmers in Harry Gwala, Mount Currie, Umgeni, Underberg and Mooi River about extreme weather conditions such as storm-strength winds, torrential rain, floods and large hailstones,” he says.
“Our trucks are the lifeline for these farmers to collect the milk on time. If we can’t reach them due to the severe damage to farm and district roads, they cannot earn an income and are forced to dispose of their milk, as cows must be milked twice a day.
“Our processors also simultaneously face a demand from consumers and cannot meet the demand if the milk supply is interrupted. For many poor communities, especially children, milk is their most important and only source of the nine essential nutrients.”
Damage
Thandiwe Gumede, a forecaster at the South African Weather Service’s Durban branch, told African Farming last week that there has been a higher incidence of storms in the province this year, with a damaging storm every few days.
The more frequent storms put pressure on recovery efforts, with emergency services and stakeholders not having enough time to repair damage promptly.
Apart from damage to roads, farmers are affected in other ways by the extreme weather conditions, says De Jager.
“In some places, the rain has been incessant over the past six weeks. It causes damage to dam slopes, water supply is disrupted and pivot points blow over. Milking cows develop hoof problems as they have to walk in deep mud all the time, with mastitis thriving.”
In addition, waterlogged crops and pastures lead to reduced maize yield and grazing potential, which will have a direct impact on feed stocks in the next few months.
De Jager warns that if road infrastructure in rural and agricultural areas does not receive urgent attention, it could have a severe impact on the dairy industry, food security and the economy.
