AGRICULTURAL NEWS - Almost the entire western part of the Eastern Cape was being affected by devastating drought conditions that started five years ago, said Doug Stern, president of Agri Eastern Cape.
As a result, government had declared the Sarah Baartman and Amatola district municipalities in the province disaster areas.
The Sarah Baartman District Municipality included towns such as Graaff-Reinet, Joubertina and Aberdeen, while the Amatola District Municipality included, among others, Bedford, Adelaide and Fort Beaufort.
The coastal and eastern parts of the Eastern Cape had been left relatively unscathed by drought, he said.
“I can’t even begin to describe the scenes of total desolation and devastation. This time of the year is especially challenging. We’ve come through winter and the lambing season has started. Winter was late and we are concerned about cold spells between September and October.”
