English
As the drought continues with its devastating effect on South Africa’s agricultural industry, many farmers try to remain positive that the situation will turn around.
NC Schoombee, an up-and-coming Free State farmer who started the Facebook group, Boere in Nood, says that he receives many phone calls from people, crying and asking for help.
The group are trying to save cattle and livestock across the country from starvation, by buying and importing feed from other provinces. Schoombee explained that when they assessed the situation, they concluded that they would need 55 000 bales of feed. One of the biggest challenges they face are the costs involved. He explained that it would cost around R50 million to get the feed and transport it to the various farmers.
“It’s an absolute disaster,” Schoombee said. He went on to say that it will take more than one good rainy season to repair the situation. Big commercial farmers have the means to recover from the disaster, while some smaller farmers might never fully recover from the drought.
Read the Fin24 article here.
