El Niño may hit E Cape’s stock farmers hard
Weather phenomenon spells serious drought
ASUPER El Niño heading towards the province could bring scorching heat and plenty of meat for the braai.
Farmers in the province said one reaction to looming drought was to offload stock which would oversupply the market and see meat prices falling.
Eastern Cape chairman of the National Wool Growers’ Association, and the association’s national deputy chairman Casper Labuschagne said: “We have been aware of the super El Niño that is on the way for some time. All indications are that it could be one of the biggest ever.”
Agri-EC president Dougie Stern, however, said weather patterns were “upside down”, meaning farmers had to trust their instincts and not be rash in their response.
Labuschagne said Namibia, Bot swana, Zimbabwe and Zambia were already experiencing serious drought.
“In Zimbabwe, there are reports that up to a million cattle may perish due to lack of food. The level of the Kariba Dam is so low that hydroelectricity cannot be generated there for much longer.
“KwaZulu-Natal is dry and the Western Cape is experiencing it’s worst drought since 1957.
“Large parts of the Northern Cape are dry, as is the Free State, Northwest Province and Limpopo.
“El Niño is usually at its worst over the Christmas period.”
On Thursday, Free State premier Ace Magashule declared the Free State province a drought disaster area.
Free State DA leader Roy Jankielsohn said this would enable resources to be made available to help farming communities buy feed and “in some places, even water, to supply their herds”.
Labuschagne said Australian researchers were saying El Niño was reducing annual rainfall by 100mm to 200mm.
“Farmers should at this point start removing old and poorly producing livestock and sell them while the price for slaughter animals is high.
“During drought, the price usually drops significantly due to an oversupply of slaughter stock. By marketing early one will get a better price and lighten the stock load on the veld,” Labuschagne said.
Farmers had to “buy lucerne in good time before the price goes up. Farmers who have had rain must bale lucerne if they have it, even if it contains a high percentage of grass. Such food will be valuable when the drought comes.
“Farmers will have to consider weaning lambs early because it is much more economical to feed lambs. Make sure that you save enough veld for the hard months.”
Stern responded by saying: “Farmers must manage their resources in accordance with what climate science is saying.
“We live in a drought-prone area. If I ran after what every one said, I’d be a nervous wreck.”
Nonetheless, he urged farmers to trust their own experience with the weather and “make arrangements, and manage your resources in accordance with what your experience tells you”. —