Farmers seek new deal as loadshedding threatens industry and food security

The impact of loadshedding on the agriculture sector is evident at all levels of operation, including logistics and cold chain management, which necessitates urgent responses from farmers and government, lest food security and export sales are put at risk. A report by Nova Economics estimates that agriculture lost about 4.38% of its contribution to gross domestic product in 2018/19 and that the cost of loadshedding for agriculture amounts to R4.01 per kWh in terms of 2020 values.