NEWS
From page 6
railway infrastructure, it will
require no fewer than 120
voyages by bulk carriers of
about 50 000 DWT (tons of
carrying capacity) to deliver
the stuff to South African
ports. Assuming each ship
takes five days to discharge at
a rate of 10 000 tons a day,
that will equate to 600 port
days or 600 days during
which ships will be alongside
the wharves of South African
harbours discharging nothing
other than grain.
In some cases that is going to
lead to congestion at South
African harbours.
Then, once one has lifted the
cargo off the ship one needs
something to transport it in,
namely railway wagons.
Hundreds and hundreds of
railway wagons (At between
50 and 60 tons capacity per
wagon the railways will
require between 100 000 and
120 000 wagon-trips to carry
the imports inland!) Wagons
which must be brought to the
store rainwater runoff and
reuse grey water.
Because of the lack of rain
smallholders, like their
harbour, shunted into
together to donate water,
commercial farmer counterposition, and slowly moved
fodder and food to less
parts, have not needed their
out of the way as they are
fortunate countrymen in the
filled. To protect the cargo
totally stricken areas, and how grass cutting and lawncare
equipment much this
from rain is also important so some transport companies
summer. This has affected
if the wagon being used is an have donated freely of their
sellers and repairers of such
open one it must be covered vehicles' and drivers' time to
machines, many of whom are
with a tarpaulin, a tedious,
deliver the donations.
labour-intensive task. There is For Gauteng's smallholders the reporting dismal summer
sales figures.
some debate among transport drought and extreme yearIronically, the market for
experts as to whether Transnet end temperatures will mean
has sufficient serviceable
that there will be shortages of second-hand machines also
appears smaller this season,
rolling stock, and even
quality fodder this year,
tarpaulins, available.
coupled with high prices of all with owners hanging on to
their old machines rather
Oh, and don't think that the
feed, for all species (many of
than selling them and
drought conveniently stops at the hard feeds containing
upgrading to something new.
the Limpopo River and that
yellow maize, among other
Economists predict that the
other countries in the region
grains.)
food shortages, coupled with
are unaffected. Zimbabwe,
Many smallholders have,
the consumption of more
too, is in the grip of the
therefore, begun selling off
expensive imports, the latter
drought and its looming maize surplus animals, even
coupled with a weakening
shortage is being put at a
consigning some of their
further two million tons this
breeding stock to the abattoir. exchange rate, will lead to
higher prices across the board
year.
There has also been a
for foodstuffs. Sociologists, in
One positive of the drought
considerable increase in
turn, are predicting the
has been the way in which
interest in processes that can
possibility of violent protests
ordinary citizens have banded be applied domestically to
Importing 6 million tons of maize will
strain SA!s port and rail infrastructure
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