Following recent severe floods in the province the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) on Friday released an updated report of the estimated financial cost of the damage.
Agriculture Minister Ivan Meyer said rapid assessment conducted in the period 26-30 June considered damage to primary agriculture sites in the West Coast, Cape Winelands and the Overberg.
The report confirmed extensive damage to riverbanks, irrigation equipment, private roads and sediment over vineyards and fruit orchards.
The estimated costs of the damage are:.Irrigation – R7,7 million.Fencing – R1,4 million.Rehabilitation of rivers, riparian zones, vineyards and orchards due to large volumes of sediment removed upstream and deposited downstream in rivers, riverbanks, vineyards and orchards – R748 million. Crop losses – R278 million.Loss of income (seasonal workers) R18,7 millionand.The cost of clearing a weir to provide drinking water to 400 people – R120 000
Meyer pointed out that the above estimates do not consider potential losses felt along the agriculture value chain, nor do they provide any insight into the impact on future exports.
“Armed with a more credible, albeit conservative, estimate, officials will, together with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, approach the National Disaster Management Centre with the aim of having the flood-damaged areas declared a disaster and unlocking the relevant funding and support that could be provided.
“In the interim, the WCDoA will ensure affected producers have access to the best technical information through its extension and advisory services.
In addition, the department will also extend its current river protection works programme to flood-affected river systems as this will mitigate the impact of future flooding,” he added.
The WCDoA will also reprioritise existing allocations, as well as approach its national sector department and the National Disaster Management Centre, via the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, to cover the costs of river protection works.
