The Western Cape has acted decisively to put in place its own measures to mitigate the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the agricultural sector.
Fruit and vegetable exports from the province would continue throughout the national lockdown, said Dr Ivan Meyer, Western Cape MEC of agriculture.
Agriculture and related food production has been declared an essential service – a move welcomed across the Western Cape’s agri-sector which has already been under pressure due to the ongoing drought.
Jannie Strydom, CEO of Agri Western Cape, said the organisation was keeping in close contact with all its members to ensure the safety and the productivity of the sector during the lockdown period.
“The health of every person in the agricultural sector remains our first priority,” said Strydom.
Anton Rabe, Hortgro executive director, said there was commitment to keeping exports going while ensuring that operations were taking place in a safe working environment for employees.
Meyer said it was imperative for the Western Cape to keep the entire food value chain functional and operational during this crisis time - from farm-related operations and agro-processing to logistics and related services. And this applied not only to exports but also nationally.
“We have to ensure that critical agricultural production activities such as harvesting, for example, continue uninterrupted,” he said.
The Western Cape Veterinary Export Certification Office (VECO) was also fully operational during the lockdown period, considering the crucial role it played in supporting agricultural export in the province, he added.
The VECO issued approximately 1600 export permits per month with a total value of R5 billion per annum, underlining the significant role agriculture played in the economy of the Western Cape, said Meyer.
“The service remains open during office hours. Two veterinarians and four inspectors remain on duty to ensure that the inspection of export consignment and the issuing of health certificates continue and our service to the export market is not disrupted.”
