Department of Agriculture assists farmers

An increasing number of livestock in the province are perishing as result of the ongoing drought with the confirmed mortality rate standing at 3 000.
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Spokesperson Selby Makgotho informed Polokwane Observer’s Herbert Rachuene that a total of 76 fodder delivery points have been identified and are expected to have been serviced by mid-January.
“In November 2015 the province announced an initial allocation of R3 million towards drought relief. An additional R20 million was also put aside for the procurement of fodder to assist the increasingly distressed situation. To date, an amount of R17 million has been spent on the procurement of fodder,” Makgotho said.
Makgotho said the department has commited itself to work harder during the coming weeks to ensure that the drought intervention programme reaches out to all deserving communities, particularly subsistence farmers most of whom have suffered sufficient loss as a result of livestock mortalities.
“The department has requested an amount of R105 million from National Government to assist the drought-stricken communities, especially the subsistence and smallholder farmers who are the hardest hit in terms of drought. This was in addition to the R20 million initially allocated following the reprioritised budget from the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme,” Makgotho informed.”A submission has been made through the provincial disaster management centre to the national disaster management centre for more funds, especially in the supply of water, which is also another critical requirement.”
It was reported that around 179 villages in the Mogalakwena municipal area and surrounds have been without water since October 2015 as the result of the drought.
Democratic Alliance (DA) Provincial Leader Jacques Smalle in the meantime said the belated declaration of Limpopo as a disaster area on 6 November 2015 and the utter lack of planning by the Department of Agriculture delayed the much-needed assistance to particularly subsistence farmers. He said according to information in possession of the DA to date not a single bale of fodder has been delivered to livestock farmers by the department in the Vaalwater area. “The DA is particularly concerned that according to the Disaster Drought Assistance application form farmers have to subsidise the fodder they receive from Government by 10 – 30% depending on the classification of the farmer,” he said. “This is not sustainable and places a serious burden on farmers already in dire financial need.”
Smalle said the DA believes that in order to provide effective drought relief to farmers, accurate information must be obtained and updated regularly so that drought relief is not a reactionary approach but a sustainable solution. “This is the only way in which food security can be safeguarded.”
On Tuesday Makgotho told Polokwane Observer that a total of 4 568 subsistence and smallholder farmers have to date received assistance of about five bags of fodder each. He said more applications are still being processed and it was expected that the number would increase. According to Mokgotho two factors contributed to the figure: the high demand and the fact fodder suppliers were closed during the Festive Season and only reopened recently. A total of 6 772 farmers have requested to be assisted by the drought relief programme between November and the first week of January with the number increasing daily.

Story: NELIE ERASMUS
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