Agri SA said drought-relief was needed to allow farmers to produce sufficient food to maintain national food security.
Farmers affected by the second consecutive year of drought conditions were already experiencing severe financial losses that, in turn, made it difficult for them to pay off loans and to reinvest in agricultural production. If left unmitigated this situation would result in even lower crop production, increased layoffs of farmworkers, and further escalations in food prices.
“This is a serious situation and we call for urgent interventions to lend assistance to affected farmers, both established and emerging,” said Agri SA president Johannes Möller.
Agri SA said that it was closely monitoring climatic conditions and had begun working towards engaging with financial institutions, agricultural industry representatives, government stakeholders and disaster risk specialist, regarding the drought situation.
