Grapes under threat
INSECTS and diseases are threatening the grape industry in the Lower Orange, with an ever increasing threat of the margerodus and fruit fly in vineyards within the Province.
Delivering the budget speech of the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform the MEC, Norman Shushu, pointed out that these insects had the potential to severely affect production figures in this industry and also had phytosanitary implications for the Province’s export products.
“The Lower Orange River area has experienced an above average vineyard production season and table grape exports is expected to exceed 16 million crates while dry grape production is expected to exceed 40 000 tonnes,” Shushu said.
“Similarly, the wine grape harvest is expected to reach approximately 170 000 tonnes and the estimated farm gate value of these products exceeds R2 billion.”
He added that to address the threat by insects and diseases, R550 000 had been sourced from the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (Casp) in order to conduct in depth research on these insects in collaboration with the grape industry.
“This proactive action will assist in the preservation of the Northern Cape as a preferred area of production for grapes.”
He added that the research was intended to find new initiatives and strives to assist the agricultural sector to find solutions to the challenges experienced by the sector.
Shushu pointed out that the export industry had suffered a major blow in 2011 when the World Organisation for Animal Health temporarily suspended South Africa’s Food and Mouth Disease (FMD) Free International status forcing it to ban all exports of potentially infected animal products.
“In the same year, the banning of ostrich meat and other meat products to other countries due to the outbreak of the Avian Influenza did not helped matters, eight farms in the Northern Cape were affected by this ban. The national Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is now busy with a process of re-registering farms in order to have the European Union ban on ostrich meat exports lifted.”
The department has also prioritised Rift Valley Fever and Anthrax and developed contingency plans which include the development of early warning systems to predict future outbreaks.
“We also have a variety of indigenous and exotic diseases which commonly attack livestock and continued vaccination is the only way most of them can be controlled.”
He said that between 2009 to date, 257 467 animals were vaccinated against various controlled animal diseases such as Rabies (67 524), Anthrax (181 118) and Newcastle (8 824), a strain of chicken disease.
The department is meanwhile working with the Cuban government, to recruit veterinary practitioners, animal health technicians and engineers to boost its capacity.
According to Shushu, the department will spend R350 million of its flood disaster allocation in the current financial year for the benefit of both commercial and emerging farmers.
“We will continue with the replacement of the existing canal at Onseepkans and the distribution infrastructure at a cost of approximately R50 million. In Eksteenskuil we will repair the damage to the infrastructure and the roads, bridges, protection walls, soil conservation works including sub surface drainage systems at a cost of about R26 million, while in the Witbank area we replace the existing canal and distribution infrastructure at a cost of R30 million. Damaged flood walls will also be repaired for farmers at a cost of R228 million.
He pointed out that raging fires in the John Taolo Gaetsewe and Frances Baard districts destroyed approximately 250 000 hectares of grazing land.
“These veld fires occurred during October and November in Kuruman, Koopmansfontein, Olifantshoek, Loopeng, Deerward, Glenred, Manyeding and Kono.”
Containment of the fires at the Koopmansfontein area was a major challenge due to extremely dry weather and strong winds.
“The department made available, in the immediate aftermath of the veld fires, R2.75 million for the procurement and transportation of feed to support 30 commercial and 548 emerging farmers.”