Agriculture
1. What will the R50 million emergency drought relief fund be spent on;
2. whether the amount is sufficient to also assist with jobs lost by farm labourers in the Karoo; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
1) The R50 million will be used to provide drought (fodder) support to farmers in extremely critical areas, namely Central Karoo, Little Karoo and parts of the Matzikama Municipality.
2) The draft National Disaster Strategy does not make provision for the support of agri workers who have lost their jobs as a result of the drought (or any other disaster). Agri worker jobs, however, are indirectly secured by the drought (fodder) support provided in extremely critical areas, including the Karoo, as this support ensures the continued operations of the affected farms and thus enable affected farmers to continue to maintain employment opportunities.
