Free State Agriculture (FSA) has announced the roll-out of the District Flood Disaster Declaration process following heavy rainfall.
Francois Wilken, president of FSA, lamented the devastation experienced since the beginning of the 2021 festive season.
According to Wilken, 60% or more of crops planted in the western Free State are at risk because of serious flood damage.
Immense flood damage was also reported in the Tokologo Municipality between Hertzogville and Christiana, in Tswelopele between Bultfontein and Wesselsbron and in the Masilonyana Municipality, where a mine tailings dam in which the municipality releases raw sewage burst, flooding massive tracts of farmland – possibly with concentrated arsenic and heavy metals.
“Urgent intervention is going to be needed to assist in keeping flood ravaged farmers in the Lejweleputswa district on their land,” said Jakkals le Roux, FSA representative for the Nala municipal area, which covers the major maize producing regions of Wesselsbron and Bothaville.
Wilken said the organisation has appealed to the district disaster management officer to mobilise staff to conduct an assessment of the extent of the damage.
He said the head of the Free State Department of Agriculture had informed the FSA that the flood disaster matter has been presented to executive council and further discussions would be held with the MECs of Agriculture and Police, Roads and Transport.
“Part of the discussion is the rapidly deteriorating road infrastructure and the flooding disaster,” said Wilken.
Besides requesting possible tax relief interventions, FSA has also appealed to agribusinesses, banks and insurance companies to come up with intervention to assist their loyal clients. He said interventions would bring relief to some farmers who have lost the capital investment put into producing a crop and entire production season.
Le Roux pointed out that comprehensive cover insurance no longer existed and that farmers had to specify whether they insure for hail, frost, locusts and chemical damage.
“Floods and droughts cannot be insured for. There is only input cost insurance where a production loan is taken out to plant a crop,” clarified Le Roux.
“Even if it dries out sufficiently after historical record high rainfall in many parts of the Free State, it is too late to still replant maize, soya and even sunflowers. Where crops survive, they are competing with a vigorous weed growth and all fertiliser has leached away, requiring expensive foliar feeding or surface spreading.
“Many farmers are still waiting for water levels to drop so that they can get into their lands to properly assess the damage.”
Urgent intervention is going to be needed to assist in keeping flood ravaged farmers in the Lejweleputswa district on their land. – Jakkals le Roux
