Veld fires destroy result in a disastrous loss of natural grazing land, animals and property. The recent fires in the Free State, Northern Cape and North West provinces has affected farmers and farm workers. It is reported that over 100,000 hectares of farmland was burnt during the devastating fires in the provinces. Farmers lost livestock, infrastructure, pastures, cropland and wildlife as a result.
One of South Africa’s biggest retailer has donated R100,000 to Agri SA to support their efforts to raise funds to assist these farmers with infrastructure on farms to safeguard livestock, stockfeed, and transportation. Pick n Pay has joined a list of local organisations pulling together to help the farmers and farm workers. The donation will be used specifically to purchase fodder for cattle.
“The public has opened their hearts to assist affected farmers for which Agri SA and its affiliates are grateful. The immediate assistance is going a long way to bring much-needed relief, but aid will be required over the long term. Pastures need to regrow, therefore a longer-term approach is needed to extend aid to farmers over coming months,” said Andrea Campher, Risk and Disaster Manager at Agri SA.
Pick n Pay has also offered to help coordinate donations to Agri SA through its Feed the Nation Foundation and distribute essential food and basic items to the affected areas. Pick n Pay has also pledged to match these donations to Agri SA, up to the value of R100,000.
“Our farmers help feed the nation. These farmers have suffered huge losses during these fires, including healthy pastures and stored fodder. We hope our donation will contribute to keeping livestock healthy as farmers focus on rebuilding their farms to serve their communities,” said Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, transformation director at Pick n Pay.
In addition, customers will be able to donate their Smart Shopper points to help the farmers by selecting Agri SA as the charity beneficiary. This can be done at the in-store kiosk or on the PnP mobile app.
