The impact of the ongoing power outages on the agricultural sector and the wider economy holds serious implications for food security and social stability. The extended period of Stage 6 load shedding threatens the viability of the sector. An escalation to Stage 7 and higher will be catastrophic and will pose a risk to the country’s national security.

Load shedding contributes to inflation and may result in farmers planting less due to rising costs and disruption in planting schedules. Load shedding increases the cost of production for farmers at a time when South Africans are facing further food price increases and are under unprecedented economic pressure.

This causes further risks and uncertainties. Electricity is central to modern farming practices and the recent increase in load shedding has seriously disrupted farming operations. Pumping stations, irrigation, cooling and other systems all depend on power supply. While some farmers have the means to move away from the power grid, most are unable to do so.

This is especially true for the most vulnerable small-scale farmers. Farmers forfeit their water quotas for irrigation purposes when the power is off – an irrecoverable loss that paralyses farms. Farmers are already reporting huge losses as processing machinery, irrigation equipment and other machinery are damaged and come to a standstill due to power outages. With essential systems unavailable during the day, farmworkers are required to work after hours. Such overtime wages increase production costs, which are already rising. The power outages are also causing waste and financial losses due to the impact on food storage.