The devastating plight of farmers in the drought-stricken Northern and Western Cape has become an all too familiar feature in the news. While the only sustainable solution is rain, and plenty of it, key chemical suppliers to the agricultural sector have banded together to bring some much-needed, practical relief to the region.
This comes with a significant donation of 4 000 bales of grass and a further 2 000 bales of lucerne that have been despatched to the Western Cape town of Klawer.
Quintin Cross, managing director of agrochemical supplier Nulandis, a member of the AECI Group of Companies, explains:
“Having a national footprint is an immense advantage and by offering support to our farmers, we are extending AECI’s corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives.
“According to the Climate Systems Analysis Group, accumulated daily rainfall has been at its lowest since 1979. Rainfall in 2016 was also extremely low, which set in motion the very serious current situation. It is going to take some time for farmers to recover when the rains do eventually come and we are very pleased to be able to help during this difficult time.
“Nulandis and sister companies serving the agricultural sector felt duty bound to do something to support the industry, and so we pooled our resources and called on the support of some of our key suppliers.”
With the assistance of Gift of the Givers, the grass has been donated by a farmer in Groot Marico. Nulandis purchased the additional lucerne while One Logix, a transport service provider to AECI, responded by dedicating four of its interlinks to move the feedstock.
RB&Sons also came to Nulandis’ assistance with significantly reduced rates for the transportation of feed by a further four trucks to Klawer. Kalbas Tredoux, Nulandis’ agent in Klawer, made his depot available to facilitate the storage and collection of feed by local farmers.
Looking back on an effort that was coordinated in a matter of just days, Cross is convinced that its success was largely due to the relationships that exist among companies within the AECI Group, their customers, and suppliers.
The AECI Community Education and Development Trust funded the intervention as part of its ongoing efforts to support sustainable socio-economic empowerment among vulnerable communities.
In this particular case, the trust allocated discretionary funding aimed at facilitating emergency relief to the region. The donation will positively impact more than 1 000 beneficiaries.