Drought threatens SA’s food security
The lobby group said in a drought report yesterday that farmers faced potential foreclosure by banks and that those whose farms would not be attached would be unable to obtain any production credit to plough maize.
Agri Northern Cape deputy president and head of Agri SA disaster management centre Willem Symington said farmers had taken massive financial losses with 37.5percent of rural South Africa affected.
“Yields per year are down and farmers are planting less,” Symington said.
“In animal production we see lessened production due to drought. In the Western Cape we have seen a loss of 25percent in the value of export crops. They are also shedding jobs due to drought. Job losses are around 20 to 25percent in the Northern Cape and the Free State.”
Source: iol.co.za