Farmers say God will provide rain in the Western Cape
While the Environment MEC is ‘working furiously on possible solutions’ as food security is at very real risk across the province
Farmers in the Koue Bokkeveld region of the Western Cape have received less than a third of their average winter rainfall — and may soon have to stop watering orchards. That’s according to one of the area’s most prominent farmers‚ Fanie van der Merwe‚ who warned on Thursday of dire consequences if significant rain does not fall in the next two months. In the absence of rain he would need to remove fruit buds from marginal orchards as there would be no water to irrigate the trees. "Two years ago we improved our irrigation and moisture-measuring technology‚ so we are being as efficient as we possibly can be. Typical annual rainfall in our area is about 650mm, but so far we have only had 180mm‚" Van der Merwe said. He added that food security across the province could soon be at risk due to the debilitating drought. "The last really dry period was in 2003-04, but this is far worse. We are people of faith and pray that God will provide rain, but we must also apply our logic that the sit...
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