The storm and flooding crisis in the Western Cape prompted a visit this week by the Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen to the Ceres region to assess the impact on the apple and pear industry and surrounding farming communities.
Severe storms that battered the Western Cape province last week have triggered a major electricity and infrastructure crisis in the province’s agricultural heartland, placing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of export fruit and thousands of jobs at risk.
Tru Cape Fruit Marketing on Tuesday warned that the Witzenberg region is facing a critical power shortage after between six and 10 electricity pylons collapsed in the Waaihoek area between Wolseley and Worcester during the storms.
The damage has left the region with severely constrained electricity supply at a time when more than 300,000 tonnes of freshly harvested export fruit are being stored in cold rooms that depend on uninterrupted power to maintain quality standards for international markets.
The crisis prompted a visit this week by the Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen to the Ceres region to assess the impact on the apple and pear industry and surrounding farming communities.
