21 March 2024
By: Lebogang Mashala
The African Farmers Association of South Africa (Afasa) has requested a meeting with Thoko Didiza, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, to discuss possible immediate and long-term solutions to a potential disaster caused by the drought.
According to the organisation, the agricultural sector lacks adequate instruments to respond proactively to disasters, which makes farmers vulnerable to food insecurity. Therefore, Afasa has called on Didiza to provide immediate support to farmers who have already experienced losses, especially developing farmers who cannot afford insurance and have no financial reserves.
Afasa said reports from its provincial leaders indicated that the drought is endangering 2023/24 grain crops and farmers are already experiencing losses that could potentially affect other industries such as livestock, as maize is used in feed.
This could lead to livestock farmers being forced to buy feed at higher prices to sustain their herd during winter, and some might even have to cull their livestock.
Afasa’s Red Meat Chamber chairperson, Abel Naphtaly, said South Africa is far behind other agricultural countries, such as the US and Australia, in introducing mitigation instruments against production risks such as hail, storms, fire and drought.
The drought also has serious food security implications, as maize is a staple food in South Africa and a major input in other processed foods. This is likely to result in food inflation.
Afasa president AJ Mthembu called on the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to work on measures to cushion farmers, particularly developing farmers, from a potentially disastrous situation.
Mthembu argued that while other sectors have forms of protection against production-related risks, such as the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act in the construction sector, the Road Accident Fund in the transport sector and the Unemployment Insurance Fund in the labour sector, farmers have no such protection.
