Recent Icy weather, accompanied by black frost, has destroyed crops in Limpopo.
Vegetables crops were directly influenced by the weather phenomenon, said Dries Joubert, chairperson of TAU SA’s northern region. The economic impact that the black frost had on production could not yet be established, according to Joubert. “Some crops could still recover, but I do not expect a lot thereof.”
He also did not want to quantify the loss, as it hits the farmer’s pocket much harder than the mere estimated input value. Besides these direct costs, farmers also have other indirect costs that they need to take into consideration. This includes, among others, workers’ salaries, maintenance on implements, and loans. Joubert said softer vegetables like tomatoes and baby marrows will not go into production. Other crops like potatoes, that were still fairly young when the black frost occurred, will probably die as well. “More developed potatoes will reach shop shelves, but they will not have a very long shelf life,” he said. Pumpkins are in the same boat as potatoes. The pumpkins that were ruined by black frost would have gone into production within the next two to three months. Joubert said both farmers and consumers will feel the effect of this natural disaster on their budget. – Susan Botes
