Recently, Zimbabwe joined Malawi and Zambia in declaring states of disaster owing to food security challenges brought on by drought.
News24 reports that, for now, South Africa will not implement policy interventions, such as export restrictions.
It said the assurance came from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALLRD). A spokesman said that, while Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe have declared states of disaster owing to a drought affecting food security, South Africa’s food supplies are still at “comfortable levels”.
The southern African region is facing the impact of a drought brought on by the weather phenomenon El Niño. El Niño is associated with low rainfall and hotter temperatures in southern Africa.
Last week, Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a national state of disaster because of the drought.
In neighbouring South Africa, the situation has not reached disaster level yet – with some provinces experiencing a deterioration in grazing veld and others “patches” of better crop conditions.
A statement issued by the agriculture department on Tuesday said that Minister Thoko Didiza had met with stakeholders in the agricultural industry as well as provincial government representatives and the Banking Association of South Africa to assess the extent of crop damage.
“With the available information, the department and agricultural leaders can ascertain that the food supplies in South Africa remain at comfortable levels,” the statement read.
Even though the drought’s impact is mainly on grains and oilseeds, the expected harvest of these crops is 15.9 million tonnes.
This, along with reserves, should be enough to meet domestic needs despite a fall of at least a fifth (21%) compared to the 2022/23 season.
There will be no policy interventions – such as export restrictions – in the foreseeable future, the department said.
Oxfam has warned that more than 24 million people in the greater southern Africa region face hunger, malnutrition and water scarcity, Reuters recently reported.
