Govt extends drought relief

2003-12-23 21:44

Pretoria - As the government announced additional drought relief measures on Tuesday, hopes remained dim for substantial rain in the near future.

"We are predicting some immediate temporary relief but things are not looking good for the remainder of the season," SA Weather Service forecaster Evert Scholtz said in Pretoria.

"Some areas have had good rains in the last 24 hours, but not enough to avert an agricultural crisis."

The government announced it would make available additional resources for drought relief, but declined to give any figures.

A comprehensive drought mitigation programme had been put in place following an urgent meeting called on Monday, the ministry of provincial and local government said in a statement.

A task team identified agriculture, drinking water supplies and municipal water as the main areas requiring intervention.

Lay-offs

The department said struggling farmers may have no choice but to lay off workers. To this end, "an intervention with organised agriculture to assist farmworkers is under consideration".

The government was also planning to expand fodder support.

Maize, sunflower and soya crops were likely to be smaller than expected, while the drought has also hampered sugar cane production. About 30 000 head of cattle had been lost, the department said.

The ministry promised additional resources for emergency assistance to vulnerable households. It said a programme was being developed to expand water provision for human and livestock consumption.

"Support will also be provided to ensure that emergency boreholes are correctly operated and maintained."

Louis Buys, chief director of disaster management, said R230m was approved last week for agricultural drought relief. Of this, R60m for fodder. The rest is for drinking water for humans and stock.

About 70% of the money was immediately available to municipalities in seven provinces, Buys said.

Staple food

Agri SA president Japie Grobler said there was a real danger of staple food shortages in the country.

He described short-term government interventions as insufficient, saying they largely sidelined commercial farmers.

What was really needed was for the government to underwrite farmers' insurance policies.

Many insurers had started refusing to insure farmers' produce as the risks had become too high, Grobler said.

"The government has been considering this option for years. Their delays could seriously boomerang - even if it rains we will have lower production because farmers simply cannot afford it any more."

- SAPA