Western Cape's Agriculture Reels Under R1.4bn Loss Due to Flood Damage

The persistent strain of power cuts coupled with this week's destructive floods has dealt a significant blow to the Western Cape's agricultural sector. Initial evaluations place the flood damage at a whopping sum of R1.4 billion.

The debilitating storm that wreaked havoc across the province over the weekend left several communities, inclusive of vast farmlands, submerged under water. Pertinently, the Cape Winelands District, a primary agricultural area in the Western Cape, was amongst the worst affected. Ms Aisha Petersen of the provincial Agriculture Department disclosed that up to 20% of farms in this district recorded overwhelming losses reaching as high as R800 million.

Further, the Overberg region, noted as the second most impacted area, reported losses exceeding half-a-billion rand. This adds to the burgeoning economic stress the agricultural sector in the province is currently experiencing.

Petersen stated, "We're preparing a preliminary report based on the mobile data that we receive by 5th October, and then once the water rescinds, the district will undertake a swift assessment. This involves visiting the various impacted farms that will enable us to deliver a more precise estimate of the extent of the damage."