Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Cape farmers bear the brunt of blackouts

Farmers across the Western Cape have demanded answers from Eskom about the rolling blackouts that have already cost the agricultural sector millions of rand.

"We're seriously asking what the government is going to do about the power supply, because the future of sustainable agriculture in the Western Cape is at stake."

Farmers who relied on irrigation from canals applied to irrigation boards two weeks in advance for water. This was released from dams and each farmer had an allotted time to pump water from the canals. But many had been unable to do so because of the unpredictable power cuts - so the water ran past them to the sea.

MEC for Agriculture Cobus Dowry is out of the country. Full Story....

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