Department steps in to alleviate damaging impact of load-shedding on agri sector

The severe effects of load-shedding on the agriculture sector has prompted government to look at ways to minimise the effects of the power crisis on the country’s food supply. Glenneis Kriel reports.

- Glenneis Kriel

The Agriculture Energy Task team, launched by Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza in January, recently gave feedback on measures taken to address the impact of loadshedding on the agriculture sector.

The task team said in its presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform in late February that it had conducted a survey to establish the impact of the energy crisis on the agriculture sector.

There were 494 participants in the survey, with 80% of these being farmers and the remainder agribusinesses. The survey revealed that load-shedding was costing smallholder farmers an average of R10 000/month in diesel for generators, and commercial farmers an average of R100 000/month.

All participants said that they had channelled capital originally aimed at production expansion towards the installation of backup energy generation instead.

Load-shedding was found to have negatively affected the yields of irrigated crops, and had highly impacted the dairy and poultry industries. There was insufficient evidence to show the impact of load-shedding on the import balance.