Power cuts raise food security fears

BLOEMFONTEIN – Free State farmers were on Thursday asked by Eskom to cut their power consumption by 10 per cent, mainly during the “red periods” of between 6pm and 7pm every day.

“This is with immediate effect,” Free State Agriculture president Louw Steytler told journalists in Bloemfontein after a meeting with Eskom representatives. “For the province’s irrigation farmers especially, this is of huge concern.”Steytler said Free State irrigation farmers produced between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of the country’s maize and the region’s crops under irrigation were now entering a two week “critical stage” of high water consumption.He said local farmers were now at a stage where they could lose about R30 000 a hectare – which would also have a serious knock-on effect for the country.”The total food value chain will be affected with serious concerns over food security and socio-economic factors.”Steytler urged all farmers to work together to save more electricity to try to minimise the “further disruption” of the country’s economy.However, he called for a better communication programme and campaign.Steytler said although Eskom saw the seriousness of the effect of load-shedding on the provincial farming industry and rural communities, it “understood the challenges”.”We would rather have a situation where we could work together to inform them of a specific agricultural regions’ specific power needs.”Steytler said the unannounced power failures had already led to problems at the Riet River irrigation scheme, where farmers were unable to pump their water quotas due to electricity cuts.Nampa-Sapa”For the province’s irrigation farmers especially, this is of huge concern.”Steytler said Free State irrigation farmers produced between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of the country’s maize and the region’s crops under irrigation were now entering a two week “critical stage” of high water consumption.He said local farmers were now at a stage where they could lose about R30 000 a hectare – which would also have a serious knock-on effect for the country.”The total food value chain will be affected with serious concerns over food security and socio-economic factors.”Steytler urged all farmers to work together to save more electricity to try to minimise the “further disruption” of the country’s economy.However, he called for a better communication programme and campaign.Steytler said although Eskom saw the seriousness of the effect of load-shedding on the provincial farming industry and rural communities, it “understood the challenges”.”We would rather have a situation where we could work together to inform them of a specific agricultural regions’ specific power needs.”Steytler said the unannounced power failures had already led to problems at the Riet River irrigation scheme, where farmers were unable to pump their water quotas due to electricity cuts.Nampa-Sapa