MORE MAIZE SHORTAGE, PRICE HIKES PREDICTED

MBABANE – Indicators from the Ministry of Agriculture have shown that Eswatini could experience maize shortage after this year’s harvest.

This means that prices for maize products would increase as opposed to dropping to the normal prices after harvest. It also means a threat to food security, which is embodied in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No:2. Goal No: 2 seeks sustainable solutions to end hunger in all forms by 2030 and to achieve food security. The main aim is to ensure that everyone, everywhere, has enough good quality food to live a healthy life. Achieving this goal would require better access to food and the widespread promotion of sustainable agriculture.   

Speaking on national radio yesterday morning, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Sydney Simelane, said for self-sufficiency, the country needed to produce at least 144 000 metric tonnes of maize, something the ministry had anticipated this year. He said the ministry had anticipated an increase from the 127 000 metric tonnes that the country produced last year. He attributed the anticipation to the good rains the country received at the start of the rainy season.

Rainfall

It should be noted that the Meteorological Service Department predicted normal to above normal rainfall this year.  However, Simelane stated that indicators had shown that Eswatini would get a lower harvest than it had anticipated due to the recent high temperatures, which resulted in the country experiencing no rains for two weeks. 

Experts in the Meteorological Service Department maintained that the high temperatures cannot be equated to a heat wave for now. A heat wave occurs when there is high pressure in the atmosphere that forces hot air downward and traps it near the ground. The high pressure system acts like a lock that prevents the hot air from rising. Consequently, rain cannot form and the hot air gets hotter.

The PS shared that in a bid to bring awareness to the nation, the ministry had started taking samples from some regional development areas (RDAs) in order to respond appropriately.  He stated that samples which were taken from Madlangampisi RDA had pointed out that farmers were likely to lose 30 per cent of their produce in 10 000 hectares. Simelane stated that the anticipated loss was attributed to the extreme temperatures experienced in the past weeks. He shared that maize hardly survived in a temperature that was above 260C. Worth noting was that temperatures rose up to 390C in the lowveld.

Loss

Simelane also attributed the high temperatures to climate change. The PS acknowledged that the recent high temperatures had caused a major loss to farmers who were earning a living through farming. He said the loss was also felt by all emaSwati as farm inputs were purchased at higher prices.
In random checks, in some shops, it was discovered that a bag of 50kg fertiliser that was sold at around E450 in the past years, had now increased to over E1 050 each, depending on the brand.

However, Simelane warned farmers against destroying their affected crops for now. He said the crops might pick up after the expected rainfall. Early this week, the Meteorological Service Department shared that the recent high temperatures were just a dry spell resulting from many factors. Speaking on national radio, Dudu Nhlengetfwa, said dry spells were common during the course of the rainy season. She said the dry spell could come early or at a later stage of the rainy season. She made an example that the country experienced the same around February last year. Farmers have already registered their worry about the extreme heat wave which they felt had caused damage to crops.

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