If roads be the economic lifeblood, SA's flatlining

A recent survey from Agri SA has found South Africa's rapidly dilapidating road infrastructure is having dire consequences on the agricultural sector. Over 300 farmers across the five worst-affected provinces participated in the survey. Farmers said they relied on road transportation to move an average of 94% of their produce. On average, participants transported an estimated R23m worth of agricultural produce by road in the last financial year for a combined total of more than R7.1bn. That's just among the participants of the survey. Almost 70% of respondents indicated trying to fix the roads themselves at a cost of R200 000 per respondent. Dr Jack Armour, the Commercial Manager of Free State Agriculture, an affiliate of Agri SA, told BizNews that tar and gravel roads in his province are in a very poor condition presenting a threat, not only to agriculture as a sector, but to the lives of communities as a whole. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices