JOHANNESBURG – There are growing concerns about the costs being incurred due to the snowstorm that hit parts of the country last weekend.
Farmers in the affected regions and the entire agricultural sector will suffer the most from the extreme weather.
KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Eastern Cape are relatively large players in the affected sector.
As they continue to absorb their losses, industry experts and insiders are concerned.
Chief Economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, Wandile Sihlobo, says their main concern at the moment is the livestock sector, and within that, beef and dairy cattle.
“We all know that dairy operations involve a lot of logistics, such as having to get the milk out of the facility every day after milking, and also receiving the deals and supplies. So the complications with logistics are just one aspect of the concerns within the beef industry. But we also worry about the goats and the sheep, which are the small herds, and the impact of the harsh weather on that.”
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According to Sihlobo, farmers in most regions have not yet been able to assess the full impact on their operations. They expect to get a clearer picture of the situation during the week.
In the meantime, he said, limited availability of animal feed is likely to pose a problem, especially for small farmers.
At the same time, the founder and director of Gule Agri Consulting agrees with Sihlobo.
He explained that farmers have had to use their reserve stocks during this period and that the next two weeks will be crucial.
“It’s all a waiting period now for the next 14 days. We hope that the grass will grow back and that we can graze a bit.”
Gule added that the long-term financial impact is not yet noticeable. According to him, there were expensive interventions, such as the purchase of feed, that were not budgeted for.
EWN
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