At a meeting with agricultural roleplayers recently agreed to prepare a load-shedding schedule to help reduce the impact of the energy crisis on agriculture, based on a schedule Agri Western Cape will finalise in consultation with its members. Carl Opperman, CEO of Western Cape, said the meeting was amicable and there is good cooperation between Eskom and agricultural roleplayers.
The problem is that the people liaising with agriculture aren’t responsible for power generation. “We can’t make any long-term plans if we’re not assured there’ll be enough power and the people that are responsible for the distribution of the power aren’t necessarily the people with whom we are dealing,” Opperman said.
Eskom is aware of the dire impact that unscheduled load-shedding could have on agricultural production. Representing the wine industry at the meeting Henk Bruwer, chairperson of Wine Cellars SA, pointed out that cooling is crucial for wine quality. The wine industry, which generates export earnings of over R3,5 billion, indicated it’s willing to shed energy, but asked Eskom to accommodate it in terms of scheduled times.
Jacques du Preez of the Deciduous Fruit Industry of SA made the same request on behalf of fruit producers, pointing out the importance of fruit entering the cold chain within an hour after being picked. The cold chain must maintain its integrity, so the timing of load-shedding is crucial.
The meeting also addressed the impacts of ill-timed load-shedding on dairy, vegetable and irrigation farmers. According to a macroeconomic analysis by the Economics Department of the Western Cape of Agriculture, a 1% decrease in productivity could lead to the loss of 129 100 jobs, a 0,54% increase in food prices and a 3% loss in GDP.
Eskom in turn pointed out that it would have to start load-shedding twice a day from March due to the increased demand for electricity and the coal situation. The current reserve margin is between 8% and 10% while the international recommendation is 15%. A supply and demand situation will become worse in 2010. – Glenneis Erasmus
Eskom makes pledge to farmers
At a meeting with agricultural roleplayers recently agreed to prepare a load-shedding schedule to help reduce the impact of the energy crisis on agriculture, based on a schedule Agri Western Cape will finalise in consultation with its members.
