Drought destroys fruit production in South Africa. Although Cape Town's water supply has been improved, fruit producers point out that the situation is completely different west of the Bot River.
Agri Western Cape issued a statement stating that the last winter rainy season, which was almost over, was arid and still leaves the province in a state of water shortage.
Nowhere is the situation more serious than in Klein Karoo. The large-scale impact of successive years of drought has led farmers and agricultural workers to no longer receive a salary of 30 million rand (1.8 million euros) due to low yields and fewer products suitable for export.
Agriculture is the main economic activity in the area. In highly productive stone farms, all trees died and all workers lost their livelihoods. More than 300 hectares. orchards were destroyed.
Fruit producers do not receive subsidies from the South African government and do not declare the affected area, although this would open up access to government assistance.
In Hortgro’s touching report on the drought in Klein Karu, the former producer of stone fruits says that if earlier several trucks were needed to deliver packaging material, then last season the crop was so scarce that all packaging materials fit in a small van.