South Africa has extended the national state of disaster it declared for a drought that’s been going on for more than seven years in some parts of the country.

The state of disaster that was initially announced for three months on March 4 has been extended to July 4, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in a notice in the Government Gazette. This is “taking into account the need to continue augmenting the existing mitigation measures undertaken by organs of state to address the impact of the disaster,” she said.

Parts of South Africa’s central livestock farming area are in the grip of the worst drought on record, with producers buckling under debt taken on to be able to feed their animals. The declaration of a disaster enables the disbursements of additional cash and stockfeed for farmers.

The government also declared a national state of disaster for the coronavirus pandemic in March.