AGRICULTURE NEWS - The plundering of maize lands in the Free State has become a massive problem for farmers in the region, leading to the loss of millions of rand. This was according to Dr Jane Buys, safety and risk analyst at Free State Agriculture (FSA).
Buys said that between 2t to 3t of maize were stolen every day in some parts of the province.
“Farmers … are not producing enough maize to meet their contractual obligations. They lose millions of rand due to theft,” she said.
In order to prevent the theft of their maize, farmers were now appointing guards to protect their produce. This added to the cost burden that they were already under.
Moreover, these guards were being attacked with pangas and shot at in carrying out their duties, Buys said.
Read the full article here on the Caxton publication, Farmer's Weekly.
