Farmers union: Cheaper fuel will bring needed relief
Farmers' Union Agri-Limpopo says the significant decrease in fuel prices will bring some much needed relief to the agricultural industry, motorists and consumers.
The fuel price adjustments for January 2019 saw a massive decrease - with petrol down by R1,22 and R1,23 a litre and diesel dropping by between R1,54 and R1,56 a litre.
New fuel prices came into effect at midnight, 2 January 2019.
"The consumer has been pressed very hardly the last few months with increases. This drop is quite significant which is good for the end consumer.
"It's also good for production in farming especially as it lowers production cost," says Agri-Limpopo's Chairperson Leon Borchedts.
He acknowledges that the benefits don't always get to the end consumer although the production costs are cheaper for the farmer.
"Do these benefits get to the end consumer at the end of the day? Althrough for a farmer it's cheaper for me to produce a certain product, there's a lot of people that don't necessarily give these prices through to the end consumer and that's unfortunate."
Borchedts has called on the end consumer to demand answers should food prices not also come down.