Reactions Last week, representatives from Hortgro, the Department of Agriculture, Vinpro and the African Farmers Association of South Africa reported back to Parliament on the state of agriculture in the Western Cape.
The meeting followed an in-depth analysis of the impacts of the drought on all major long-term crops, major vegetables, jobs, exports and other factors, as well as the impact on emerging farmers.
The Western Cape Agriculture sector – a key contributor to the provincial economy – has seen extensive losses and damage over the past year, prompting a call for interventions by local and national government to mitigate the impact on livestock breeding and support employees who have lost their jobs.
The 2017/18 reduction in seasonal exports had resulted in a R1.4-billion loss and a reduction in 11,705 seasonal jobs, he said.
Vinpro, for their part, spoke of a R5.9-billion loss in GVA and a substantial loss of jobs as key risks.
Support for emerging farmers Emerging farmers were in particular need of support, as they were hit hardest by the drought, said Jacobs.
In total, Jacobs said, 90% of the livestock farming areas across the Western Cape were either extremely critical or critical, and the natural veld was completely degraded, requiring at least three years to recover provided there was good rainfall.
Botha called for “direct support to communities” as well as action on irrigation dam projects, and continued communication and cooperation.
They also called for fodder support funding through Provincial Treasury and the National Disaster Management Centre, and recommended a plan be developed to protect the livestock genetic pool.
At the end of March, Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde said it would be impossible to speak of the budget for the Western Cape Department of Agriculture without considering the drought.