On 16 June this year, Grahamstonians woke up to a white wonder-world. We joyously built snowmen before the sun melted the snow away. It was fun.
Meanwhile, the whole of South Africa was gripped by icy weather. And hundreds of kilometres away, a killer got hold of the vegetable crops.
On 16 June this year, Grahamstonians woke up to a white wonder-world. We joyously built snowmen before the sun melted the snow away. It was fun.
Meanwhile, the whole of South Africa was gripped by icy weather. And hundreds of kilometres away, a killer got hold of the vegetable crops.
On the surface, all seemed fine. The tragedy of the black frost would only reveal itself a day or two later. Only then would the plants shrivel and die in the crisp winter sunshine.
Hundreds of hectares of tomatoes, peppers and baby marrows were laid to waste as the country warmed up. Now, a few weeks later, we are paying the price: literally.
Tomato prices have doubled in two weeks, and are 182% higher than this time last year. Peppers, pumpkins, butternuts and other sun-loving vegetables are rapidly following suit.
Normally, this produce only becomes scarce and expensive at the beginning of Spring. But this year, tomatoes could be as expensive as meat come September!
A week ago the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium groundsmen were sweating about the soggy pitch. Ironically, just down the road, Gamtoos farmers were also sweating – but about a lack of water.
The rain was enough to drench the soccer pitch, but not enough to break the drought. At the end of last week, a far-reaching decision was taken.
Gamtoos farmers were curtailed to 60% of their water usage for the year ahead. This will have a major impact on the availability and price of local, fresh produce.
The obvious decision for the farmers now is to forego the cash crops to save their citrus trees, which take years to become productive and must be looked after.
This means that fewer vegetables will be cultivated on the lands. It seems that next year will be a challenging one for vegetarians.
