Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 6 March 2008 — Page 27

The Muncie Times • March 6, 2008 • Page 27

AFRICAN BRIEFS

continued from page 26 biofuel plant where we can convert manure, and it will certainly not address all of the power needs of the country," Coetzee said. He estimated that the power shortages have cost dairy farmers some $13 million in loss of income and lost produce. Whenever the power was cut, cows could not be milked and milk could not be refrigerated. Thousands of liters of milk were lost. Dairy farmers have spent about $32.5 million on buying emergency generators. And certain farmers have been looking at solar panels and wind technology as alternative sources of energy, said Agri Western Cape's Opperman. But, "These are extremely expensive options. The huge generators needed for agriculture cost a lot of money, the equivalent of at least $130,000, not to speak of the diesel needed to run them." According to Lindie Botha, an economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber, South African farmers are ready and willing to invest in alternative fuel sources. "We will not immediately see huge changes, but this crisis is the kick that was needed to really start investigations into alternative sources. We will see great changes within the next 3 to 5 years," she said.

"There will be investments in solar and wind energy, not only because it makes electricity users less dependent on electricity, but because it is cost-effective. It is interesting that dairy producers, who are more dependent on technology than, say, cattle farmers, are those that for a long time have been more open to alternative power sources." - Botha echoed Opperman's sentiment that a farmer always makes a plan. "There will always be the lone individual who comes up with a brand new invention, like the person I read about on one of the industry Web sites. ... This farmer has invented some kind of contraption with which he taps the energy generated by the flow of the river on his farm." Johan Willemse, a professor in agricultural economics, said generators are not cost-effective. Even the large $130,000 generators can only provide enough power for one center-pivot sprayer. Nonetheless, generators of this size were sold out after the first wave of power cuts. It takes about four weeks for a new generator to arrive from abroad and in that time the irrigation farmer stands to lose thousands of dollars daily. "Farmers have two alternatives. They either have to invest in generators, or they have to stop producing and find alternative sources of

income," Willemse said. While the energy crisis has undoubtedly resulted in substantial losses, the exact extent of these losses is difficult to determine, he said. "We will only see the full effect in the next season." However, Willemse does not see farmers losing their farms due to the power cuts. "A farmer does not simply stop working when he hits a snag. He carries on regardless," he said. Botha voiced similar views, saying: "If there is a farmer who has to leave his farm, the power crisis will not be solely to blame. It may be the final

straw in a situation where other factors have already caused a shaky situation." However, she warned that although the majority of farmers could weather the crisis in the short term, they may not be able to survive huge losses for three or four consecutive seasons. "The crisis is definitely a threat to food security. When a farmer has to invest in expensive equipment, he eventually passes on this loss, and eventually the consumer has to pay in the form of rising food prices." GLOBAL INFORMA-

TION NETWORK (GIN) distributes news and feature articles on Africa and the developing world to mainstream, alternative, ethnic and minorityowned outlets in the United States and Canada. GIN can be contacted at: Lisa Vives Executive Director Global Information Network 146 West 29th Street Suite 7E New York, NY 10001 www. globalinfo. org 212-244-3123 (voice) 212-244-3522 (fax)