AgriSA meets Eskom management to discuss crisis

Eskom has come under fire for power cuts

AgriSA met with Eskom management to discuss the national power crisis and its influence on agriculture, the organisation said.

"Eskom re-assured us that the situation would have improved by winter, as summer maintenance would have been completed," said AgriSA's Natural Resources Director, Nic Opperman.

AgriSA held at the meeting that alternative supplies should be considered as load shedding affected irrigation and diary farmers, said Opperman.

"Mechanisation and production lines are also affected. Fruits meant to be exported cannot be refrigerated in time and this affects the export market," he said.

AgriSA claimed that farmers had not been informed in time of the actual magnitude of the power crisis.

"This resulted in farmers being unable to put the necessary contingency plans in place. The extent of the damage is enormous and must still be calculated," said Opperman.

The farmers' organisation called on government and Eskom to be transparent regarding the state of affairs so that electricity could be managed optimally and alternatives could be sought.

In response, Eskom stated that rolling blackout proposals would be reviewed in an attempt to minimise disruptions.

"We will also focus attention on newly built power stations to minimise project slippage," Eskom said. - Sapa