Losses to pome and stonefruit sector estimated to be as high as R6.3bn
Severe flooding and storm winds that struck the Western and Eastern Cape in May have caused an estimated R6.3bn (US$385mn) in damage and production losses to the pome and stonefruit industry according to preliminary assessments compiled in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
The storms affected orchards, fruit-on trees, farmland, housing, dams, packing and cold storage facilities, and transport, electricity and water infrastructure across the two major producing provinces. Industry body Hortgro said the potential total losses amount to approximately 26 per cent of the combined deciduous industry’s gross production value of R24.6bn (US$1.5bn).
The organisation noted that the disaster will have serious consequences for rural employment. It estimates that more than 6,700 direct agricultural jobs are at risk due to the destruction in the Eastern and Western Cape. “Given the multiplier effect of agricultural employment on local economies – where each farm job typically sustains several indirect jobs in transport, packaging, retail and services – the total employment impact is likely to be considerably higher,” Hortgro said.
“The Elgin-Villiersdorp region, Ceres, Tulbagh, Breede River Valleys and the Langkloof corridor – critical fruit producing areas of national importance – are among the hardest-hit. Ceres, which supplies a significant share of South Africa’s deciduous fruit exports, has incurred R116.2mn (US$7mn) in additional transport costs alone, as damaged roads force produces to travel longer distances or take alternative routes to packhouses and ports.
“The Langkloof, known for its apple and pear production, faces R28mn (US$1.7mn) in similar additional logistical costs. The value of products currently in storage and at risk is R4.8bn (US$293mn) worth of apples and pears. In Ceres, alone, packhouses are using thousands of litres of diesel to power generators due to loadshedding.”
According to Hortgro, the pome and stonefruit sector of the Western and Eastern Cape is valued at R24.6bn (US$1.5bn) and is a pillar of the regional economy, with strong links to South Africa’s export earnings, food security, and rural livelihoods.
“A potential loss equivalent to nearly one-quarter of this value in a single weather event underscores the vulnerability of agricultural infrastructure to extreme weather and the urgency of investing in flood-and-storm-resilient systems,” the organisation concluded.
