Drought has had ‘devastating impact on agriculture sector’ - Treasury
22 February 2017
Pretoria - The nationwide drought has had a devastating effect on the agriculture sector and its value chain, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said in his 2017 Budget Speech.
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries expects to spend R644m on infrastructure projects over the medium term, R75.4m of which is allocated for the maintenance and erection of fences along the borders of the Kruger National Park.
Crop and livestock production dropped sharply in the 2016/17 financial year, while maize production fell by 24%, from 7.54 million tonnes in 2015/16 to 5.7 million tonnes in 2016/17.
Higher yields are expected in 2017/18 as the drought is predicted to end.