PwC has revealed that South Africa faces a risk of heightened food insecurity as cargo shedding, inclement weather and deteriorating infrastructure disrupt the country’s food supply.
The company’s financial advisory, South Africa Economic Outlook, released in June, discussed how companies might respond to the difficulties of the current economic environment. Currently, South Africa ranks 52nd out of 113 countries in terms of food availability according to reports from the Global Food Security Index.
The biggest concern right now is that this could worsen by the end of 2023 with food inflation hitting a 14-year high, which would make basic goods unaffordable and increase disruptions in the agricultural sector.
In particular, PwC’s main concern is the increasing rate of load shedding, which is also affecting water supply on farms, as a third of South African farms rely on electricity to pump up water for irrigation. This causes a disruption in the food supply, making it increasingly difficult for retailers to consistently source food at affordable prices.
The company’s warning echoes Pitso Sekhoto of the African Farmers Association of South Africa, who also warned that the country may be reaching a point where food supplies cannot be guaranteed. This is due to deteriorating infrastructure preventing farmers from getting their products to market.
Sekhoto said municipalities and provincial governments are the reason why South African agriculture is such a mess. Farmers are struggling to get their products to market and are increasingly struggling to get supplies, with diesel being particularly difficult to get hold of. “If we don’t solve these problems, we will reach a point where we are food insecure in South Africa.” – he said.
The weather is also a threat as the country enters the El Niño season and erratic weather is expected throughout the winter. This threatens the harvest of the country’s winter crops, such as wheat, canola, barley and oats.
PwC said the combination of these factors threatens South Africa’s food supply and thus social cohesion.
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