DA North West calls for emergency drought assistance to safeguard food security
20 March 2024
The North West is currently experiencing a severe drought further exacerbated by persistent heatwave conditions that are threatening crops, livestock operations and impacting water availability.
These prevailing conditions coupled with rising input costs and loadshedding are threatening the business viability of commercial farming operations and will have a disastrous impact on small and subsistence farmers who contribute immensely towards food security and pushing back hunger and malnutrition in communities throughout the North West.
To ensure food security and to assist the entire agriculture sector, the DA has written to Acting Premier Nono Maloyi, requesting him to immediately declare the province a drought disaster. See letter to Premier here.
Last week, we tabled a motion in the NCOP for emergency assistance to support commercial, small, emerging and subsistence farmers to limit the impact of the drought on the agricultural sector. See motion here.
It is vital that farmers are supported to safeguard food security.
Failure to support the North West agriculture sector will put the entire value chain at risk and will result in job losses.
Concerns were recently raised in the NCOP about the North West government’s failure to support farmers during the extensive veldfire season last year which destroyed about 1,4 million hectares of land, resulting in the loss of life, livestock and game.
Farmers were left to fight fires by themselves as Working on Fire could not respond effectively to calls for help because the government had failed to make the necessary resources available to the organisation.
Grazing could not recover fully from last year’s fire season and the prevailing drought will severely limit the grazing availability which will result in farmers having to reduce their herds. Farmers do not have the financial capacity to purchase and transport fodder from afar.
We demand that Premier Maloyi, the Provincial Disaster Management Centre along with the National Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Committee follow the required processes and procedures for disaster relief in collaboration with National Treasury to support farmers and limit the impact of the drought.
The required resources for Working with Fire should also be immediately made available as we approach this year’s veldfire season.
Farmers play a vital role in South Africa as agriculture is essential to supporting economic growth, decreasing poverty and ensuring food security in the country.
North West residents have the opportunity on 29 May this year to kick out the ANC and vote in a DA government that will support the argi-sector to ensure food security by ensuring equitable access to water, electricity and access to markets, which will reduce food inflation driving back poverty and not only prevent job losses, but create new jobs within the sector, driving back unemployment.
But above all, our government will not have to be begged to step up and support farmers when disaster strikes. We will fully capacitate disaster management services to effectively respond to calls for help in real time.
Issued by Carin Visser, NCOP: Agriculture, Land Reform, Rural Development, 20 March 2024
