The recent cold snap that clutched the country in an icy grip caused mixed emotions across the agricultural sphere. While most farmers welcomed the cold air, others suffered losses and fear more hardship to come.
“The cold front will mar production and there will be a definite decrease in market volumes over the next four to six weeks,” said Dr Jan Prinsloo, chairperson of the Banana Growers’ Association. “If the weather clears and the wind dies down, there will be a possibility of black frost in the lower-lying areas,” he warned. But Justin Chadwick, CEO of the Citrus Growers’ Association of SA, said where citrus is concerned, the colder the better. “The cold air makes the colour break in the fruit. We need the cold snap, even though it has come a little late this year.”
Potatoes SA’s manager for industry information, Pieter van Zyl, said the cold front would have no impact on the Free State regions as “they are already in the marketing stage”, but he added that there have been some frost reports in Limpopo which could impact on farmers there.
GrainVest climatologist Louis Botha said as far as maize was concerned, the moisture contents could be a deciding factor. “Moisture content up to 20% could make crops susceptible to black frost.” KwaZulu-Natal farmers have generally not experienced any significant problems with their enterprises.
Chairperson of the Natal Woolgrowers’ Association Hendrick Botha, who farms near Cedarville in East Griqualand, said the first cold snap was a sign that winter had arrived, but that most livestock farmers in his region were better prepared for the cold than last year.
Cato Ridge strawberry farmer John Sandison was pleased with the low temperatures, as they were needed to produce a good-quality crop. He said that while livestock farmers might not appreciate the cold, the low temperatures were a blessing in disguise for him. “A strawberry crop needs between 30 and 40 cold units to produce good, sweet berries. One cold unit equates to one hour of temperatures less than 7ºC. This first cold snap has been in my favour, although I hope that there will be a few more similar cold days during this crop cycle,” he explained.
In the Western Cape the cold climatic conditions also bode well for fruit and grain producers. “Farmers are delighted with the rain, as it is the first good winter experienced in many fruit-producing regions in five years,” said Daan Louw, spokesperson for the Deciduous Fruit Producers’ Trust and CEO of Optimal Agriculture Business Systems. He added that the favourable climatic conditions might even lead to bumper crops next year. Andries Theron, Western Cape representative of Grain SA who farms in Moorreesburg, said that the climatic conditions are ideal for grain production and most grain producers have already finished planting. Things are even looking favourable in the southern Cape, which was experiencing drought conditions in some areas. “Everybody is happy with the good rains!” Theron said – Staff reporter
