The government is considering emergency measures for sugar cane farmers in KZN

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Mr Zokwana and Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti informed the media on Wednesday that the persistent drought was starting to hurt the economy and was making greater imports of maize and wheat a certainty. Meanwhile, there is even less relief in sight for beleaguered farmers as forecasts are made that the drought will last longer than initially expected.

If financial institutions limited production credit for farmers, they would face severe constraints coupled with inadequate water resources, Mr Möller said. He warned that, left unmitigated, these factors would result in lower crop production, labour shedding and rising food prices as has been the case this year.