Cape Town - Farmers have said the country’s food security is being endangered by the deteriorating road network and have called on the Presidency and the Investment and Infrastructure Office within the Presidency to act urgently before the situation worsens.
A survey by Agri-SA shows farmers rely on road transportation to move an average of 94% of their produce, and that small-scale farmers in particular are the worst affected.
The survey was initiated to determine the impact of deteriorating road infrastructure on the sector.
Although the survey found farmers in the Western Cape had the fewest complaints about roads, the chief executive of Agri Western Cape, Jannie Strydom, said this did not mean the problems were less urgent.
“We have problems with our rural roads, especially the gravel roads, but we’re in constant discussions with our provincial departments,” he said.
Strydom said he had discussed infrastructure, among other issues, with Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer.
Agri SA director Christo van der Rheede said food security for South Africans could not be ensured if the roads were in a deplorable state.
Van der Rheede said roads were critical because they played a huge role in the development of rural communities, where the poorest of the poor were trying to eke out a living.
He said the survey’s findings had triggered the start of a national campaign by Agri-SA to champion the issue of roads
“We stand ready to co-operate with the government to ensure that we give our farmers the best chance of success, and in the process ensure the future food security of South Africa.”
Chief economist at Agri-SA, Kulani Siweya, said farmers transported an estimated R23 million worth of produce by road in the past financial year for a combined total of more than R7.1 billion. He said this was being compromised by the deteriorating road network.
Siweya said 69% of the survey’s respondents had at some time tried to fix the roads.
“The respondents on average incurred repair and other related costs of more than R200 000 per participant. While this may be affordable for the biggest sector players, it is untenable for South Africa’s small-scale farmers,” he said.