Plan needed for drought funds – economists

JOHANNESBURG – The government needs to channel its national agricultural emergency efforts into specific areas where farmers and communities haven’t seen a drop of rain for more than four years, Agri SA deputy executive director Christo van der Rheede said on Friday.

Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has declared a national state of disaster in South Africa in agriculture. This followed rains in recent months in many parts of the country, where the drought has been alleviated and production looked to be reasonable, said Van der Rheede.

The Minister’s announcement also followed the allocation in the recent Budget of R500 million for disaster management, including floods and drought, while a similar amount was set aside for bio security and to support exports.

FNB economist Paul Makube said the R500m for drought and flood relief was “very positive” news for agriculture, “although the implementation would be the proof of the pudding.”

Van der Rheede said most agricultural areas that had been drought stricken since 2017, including Gauteng, Free State, Northern Province and Mpumalanga, had received good rains in the last few months and there were good production prospects in most provinces.