‘Load shedding threat to national security’

Agri SA has warned about the impact of load shedding on agriculture and the economy, with dire implications for food security and national security.

Agri SA boss Christo van der Rheede has warned that an escalation to stage 6 or higher would be catastrophic to national security.

He explained that load shedding contributed to inflation and may result in farmers planting less due to rising costs and disruption in planting schedules.

Van der Rheede said Eskom’s load shedding increased the cost of production for farmers at a time when South Africans were facing further food price increases and under unprecedented economic pressure.

“This causes further risks and uncertainties. Electricity is central to modern farming practices and the recent increase in load shedding has seriously disrupted farming operations. Pumping stations, irrigation, cooling and other systems all depend on power supply,” he said.

Protests

He also warned that load shedding could lead to public protests. He said South Africa could again experience the violent riots that crippled Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal last year.

Van der Rheede said while some farmers have the means to move away from the power grid, most are unable to do so.

He said this was especially true for small-scale farmers, with farmers forfeiting their water quotas for irrigation purposes when the power is off – an irrecoverable loss that paralyses farms.

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Agri SA said farmers were already reporting huge losses as processing machinery, irrigation equipment and other machinery were damaged due to power outages.

He lamented that load shedding was also causing waste and financial losses due to the impact on food storage.

Food availability

Van der Rheede said retailers are starting to reject fresh produce, mainly vegetables, due to delays in delivery and disruption in the cold chain.

In summer this challenge increases exponentially and this will reduce the amount of food available and increase its cost to the consumer.

“We trust that the Presidency will prioritise stability and safety at all power plants. As these plants are regarded as national key points, Agri SA makes an urgent request that sites of strategic importance be protected against sabotage. Violent action and crime are on the rise and are a trend that needs to be reversed in national interest,” he said.

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