Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism
Regarding the current 2026 winter grain planting season, on which the severe May flooding could have had an impact:
(a) What is his Department’s assessment of how recent waterlogging could have had an impact on the planting progress of grains in our major producing regions, (b) what is the anticipated impact on our yield quality for the 2026 harvest and (c) what support is being provided to farmers to manage (i) these climate risks and (ii) the current financial pres-sure of high input costs?
- The severe flooding and prolonged wet conditions experienced during May 2026, particularly in parts of the Western Cape, disrupted agricultural activities and damaged cropland and farm infrastructure. Flooded fields, high soil moisture levels and restricted access to land likely delayed planting operations in some winter grain-producing areas and may have reduced the area planted where conditions remained unsuitable. The Department and provincial authorities have been conducting damage assessments in affected regions. The following in the various regions were observed:
Southern Cape
Soil moisture conditions are marginally above the long-term average after the recent rains. Although moisture levels were conducive for crop development, the wet conditions briefly hampered the fertilising and spraying activities.
Swartland
Areas that experienced waterlogging in the region negatively affected crop establishment.
Overberg
Soil moisture conditions are slightly above the long-term average for the region but are conducive for crop development at present.
(b) Flooding can significantly reduce the yield and quality of the 2026 grain harvest. Producers who have already planted, may have to replant, resulting in a shorter growing season (as well as for those producers who couldn’t start planting. Producers might also have to plant significantly lower than previous years, which will also result in lower yields. Based on the recent producer survey, there were 255 respondents for crops, whereas 12 indicated losses of grain production, mainly recorded from the Garden Route district. The aggregated loss for grain production was estimated at a total of R5 384 269,53, which is for an affected area of 262 hectares, meaning the loss per hectare amounts to approximately R20 550,65. Generally, the average yield harvested for grain production amounts to 4,04 tonnes per hectare. This means for the affected area, a loss of 1 058,48 tonnes per hectare occurred.
(c)(i) The Western Cape Department of Agriculture supports farmers through advisory services and climate smart interventions, with a key role played by the Risk Reduction sub-program. This sub-programme implements river protection works to stabilise river systems, including riverbank stabilisation, erosion control, and rehabilitation of degraded natural river channels. These efforts reduce flood impacts, protect agricultural land and infrastructure and promote sustainable water management, thereby strengthening resilience to climate-related risks.
(c)(ii) The affected area of 262-hectares results in the average directly variable cost to be approximately R4 060 355,48. This means that input costs are approximately R15 497,54 per hectare. For grain producers who needs to replant, these costs are significant. It should also be considered that input costs have increased, especially in terms of chemical, fertilisers and fuel, due to the war in the Middle East. This will also increase the input cost for producers who are already struggling
