Snowstorm havoc sees farmers pulling their hair over cost implications

JOHANNESBURG - Concerns are mounting around the cost exacted by the snowstorm that hit parts of the country this past weekend.

Farmers in the affected regions and the agricultural industry at large will have to bear the brunt of the severe weather.

KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Eastern Cape are relatively major players in the sector that have been affected.

And while they’re still tallying their losses, experts and industry insiders say they’re worried.

The chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa - Wandile Sihlobo - says at this point, they’re particularly concerned about the livestock industry, and within that, beef and dairy cattle.

"We all know in dairy activities involve a lot of logistics of having to move milk out of the facility every day after milking, and also receiving the deals and supplies. So, the complications with logistics is just one aspect of the worry within the cattle industry. But we also worry about the goats and the sheep, which is the small stock, the impact of the harsh weather conditions on that."

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Sihlobo said farmers in most regions haven't yet been able to assess the full impact on their operations, adding that they expect to get a clearer picture of the situation as the week progresses.

In the meantime, though, he said low feed supplies will likely be an issue, especially for small-holding farmers.

At the same time, the founder and director of Gule Agri Consulting agrees with Sihlobo.

He explained that farmers have had to dip into their reserve supplies over this period and that the next two weeks will be critical.

"It’s all now a waiting period for the next 14 days. We’re hoping the grass is going to bounce back and we get some grazing."

Gule added the long-term financial impact is yet to be felt, noting that costly interventions like feed purchases that were not budgeted for.