South African farmer laments ‘disastrous’ energy crisis

A South African farmer has told the BBC’s Newsday radio programme that the energy crisis in the country is having a “disastrous” effect on all industries and a “big impact” on agriculture.

The country is facing regular blackouts which have been blamed on the government’s poor management of the power utility, Eskom, and an ageing fleet of coal-fired stations.

Regarding agriculture, crops need to be irrigated, while poultry farming “relies on a lot of electricity”, Gift Mafuleka said.

Mr Mafuleka, who grows potatoes and grains, said he currently has crops that need irrigation. The heatwave the country is currently facing makes it hard to “keep up” with watering crops and tending to livestock, he said.

“It’s very tough,” he continued, saying that he has been discussing the possibility of “scaling down” his produce with his staff.

He warned this could have a wider economic impact in terms of job losses if other farmers followed suit.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: AFP