JOHANNESBURG - AgriSA said the funding scheme Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza announced on Tuesday would be helpful to farmers, however, it added it’s not enough to mitigate the impact of load shedding.The minister said that the department will be establishing the agro-energy fund, to enable farmers to apply for funding to invest in alternative energy sources.The funding is meant to help farmers with irrigation equipment, agricultural productive systems, and cold chain-related activities.
Small-scale farmers will qualify for up to R500 000, 70% of which will be a grant, while large-scale farmers will qualify for up to R1.5 million, with 70% of the amount being a loan. AgriSA CEO Christo van der Rheede said the funding is still not enough to address the challenges farmers face. "We are, however, concerned that given the magnitude of this crisis; the amount provided per farmer will only scratch the surface in addressing the crisis. We therefore hope to have further discussions with the department about bringing private finance institutions into the scheme, to make more funding available."- Agri SA bemoans impact of load shedding on food security
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