SA farmers in Ukraine struggle to make ends meet as tanks flatten crops

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has seen hundreds of deaths, millions forced to flee, and threatened to push fuel and food prices up.

But one group of people who are usually the last to leave any warzone are farmers, among which there are a substantial amount of South Africans, both in Ukraine and Russia.  

Springs Advertiser spoke to World Farmers Organisation president Theo de Jager, who said South African farmers are “at each other’s throats”, each group standing steadfast in the cause of their respective countries.

“Farmers are always loyal and patriotic. While people are fleeing the towns and cities, the farmers are going nowhere,” said De Jager.

ALSO READ: Russia-Ukraine: Households in North Africa panic buying as food prices rise

How farmers are being affected

Farmers do not reside in densely populated areas, so they are usually not affected by bombings, De Jager said.

But they do have crops in fields and livestock to nurture, and food the bill for the “rural dimension” of the conflict.

Their fields and pastures are occasionally ploughed by tanks and military convoys, however.

Tanks are also reportedly breaking down near farms in Ukraine, which forces farmers to come into direct contact with Russian soldiers.

De Jager said farmers had told him when such incidents occur, Russian soldiers demand assistance to fix tank engines, and to give them diesel and food.

“In every way, the logistics in this war ar not working out as planned.”

The logistics also results farmers and surrounding areas with food surpluses not being able to deliver to areas in Russia with deficits.

Accessing markets to turn a profit is an area of great concern for farmers. According to De Jager, wars cause markets to explode.

In this case, trade sanctions imposed on Russia by countries across the globe are worsening the situation.

“In agricultural terms, the downstream value chain has been disrupted and farmers are desperately looking for new markets, on the one hand, and on the other hand, new lines of logistics.”

ALSO READ: Russia-Ukraine: Agri SA sounds warning, says SA’s food prices will soar if govt does not act

Harvest season in Ukraine

De Jager said it is currently the beginning of the production season in Ukraine, with fields that have not yet been ploughed doing so over the next week or two.

It is almost springtime in Ukraine, which means palnting season. Winter crops are now being harvested urgently to prepare fields for the upcoming season.

Where these goods will go, however, remains to be seen.

South Africa has strong relationships with farming organisations in both Ukraine and Russia.

Ukraine is among the biggest producers of ten different types of grain, including sunflowers. This means South Africa receives a substantial amount of our cooking oil from Ukraine.

On the other hand, South Africa exports fruit and nuts, notably citrus, to Ukraine and Russia, but now there is no market.

De Jager said farmers desperate to get their goods from Ukraine to Russia cannot even do so because no ships are travelling in that direction.

He said they are asking for help to find new market outlets, to diversify their trade and turn a profit.

NOW READ: Sanctions on Russian oil can lead to same shortage as in 1973

Edited by Nica Richards.

This article first appeared on Caxton publication Springs Advertiser, by Izak du Plessis. Read the original article here.