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Mabuza meets Northern Cape farmers

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State farms in the Northern Cape have been earmarked for the production of fodder and lucern for farmers who are buckling under the strain of drought conditions.  This emerged after a closed meeting between farmers in the province and Deputy President David Mabuza.

Farmers have been dealing with drought conditions for at least six years, leading to rapid losses of livestock and crops.

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald, who raised the plight of farmers in Parliament and accompanied Mabuza, says immediate action is needed.

“The most important thing now is to ensure that there is fodder and to feed the animals because they are dying.  Some of the farmers say that more than 50% of their livestock just disappeared. So that is an urgency.”

Mabuza’s visit to the drought-stricken area is part of the government’s Land Reform and Integrated Farmer Support Programme.

For at least five years, small scale and macro farmers in the Northern Cape have been bearing the brunt of unrelenting drought. Some areas in the province have been declared disaster areas with losses in cattle, crops, and farm workers losing their livelihoods.

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