SA has ample food supplies, no need to panic, say economists

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s food security is secure for the rest of the year amid concerns raised by the downturn brought on by the coronavirus, which has led to some South Africans stockpiling ahead of an expected nationwide lockdown.

Agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo, in a working paper on the impact of coronavirus on food security, said yesterday that from a national perspective, there was doubt that South Africa would experience food shortages, at least for most food products over the next 12-months.

He said while there are essential imported food products that South Africa was dependent on – such as rice (100percent depended on imports), wheat (50percent dependent on imports), and palm oil (100percent dependent on imports) – some of the countries which had reported cases of Covid-19 had not taken drastic measures of limiting business activity (apart from Italy and China) to reduce the spread of the virus. This meant the importation of some agriculture products into South Africa could continue unabated, barring any unforeseen eventuality.

He said the implications of Covid-19 on food price inflation remained unclear in the near-term, though it was clear South Africa had ample food supplies for 2020, and therefore, there was no need for panic buying.

“In the unlikely event of potential shortages, it will be due to glitches in the logistics of shipping imports rather than a decline in global essential grains supplies,” Sihlobo said.