Farming organisation Agri SA has warned that unreliable electricity generation imperils South Africa’s food supply.
Agri SA said it was ‘deeply concerned’ by the impact of load shedding on the agricultural sector, the food value chain and the economy as a whole.
Nicol Jansen of Agri SA pointed out that more than 25% of the country’s food ‘is produced by irrigation-reliant and energy-intensive industries’.
‘Load shedding has an impact on irrigation-reliant and energy-intensive industries like the horticulture, dairy, poultry, grains and agro-processing industry. Irrigation, irrigation scheduling, the application of fertilizer, processing and shipment are all negatively affected by the unplanned load shedding disruptions.’
More advance warning of load shedding from Eskom ‘could have made a big difference for farmers and businesses’ in enabling them ‘to adjust their planning accordingly’.
Jansen added: ‘The burden of load shedding is unacceptable. We need our economy to grow and uplift all South Africans. The unreliability of electricity supply is a major constraint on our economy and the outlook for economic growth. In addition to rising electricity tariffs, the occurrence of load shedding disrupts business activity and is accompanied by direct and indirect costs.’
More urgent government actions ‘are needed to mitigate the electricity sector crisis’.
‘In the short run, Eskom will have to give more consideration to its customers, giving advance warning of load-shedding disruptions,’ Jansen said.