The month-long strike at a Foskor acid plant in Richards Bay has put a strain on the production of animal feed and fertilisers for the country's agricultural sector. This comes as a double blow for farmers, who have been grappling with a severe drought and now face a possible shortage of animal feed and fertilisers.The industry was in a state of panic this week as the end to the planting season looms. Farmers have until December 14 to plant."The strike caused a delay in the fertiliser supply. We will experience some bottlenecks because all the farmers would like to farm immediately before the rain comes," said Grain SA CE Jannie de Villiers.Foskor is SA's largest producer and exporter of fertilisers, phosphoric acid and feeds used for agricultural, medical and industrial sectors. Phosphoric acid is also used to manufacture animal feed.Its customers include companies like Omnia, Afgri and KK Animal Nutrition, among others.An industry insider, who did not want to be named, said Foskor was a dominant supplier."From a strategic point of view this is a disaster. We will be faced with bottlenecks. Starting up will not happen at a press of a button."It will take a while for the chemical reaction to take place," the industry insider said.Some farmers are considering importing fertilisers, which will push up the price of food further."Some of the farmers have started importing fertilisers at R10000 a ton and we are taking about roughly 4000 tons a month of fertiliser," the source said.About 400 Foskor workers embarked on a protected strike four weeks ago, calling for a proper salary-grading process and clarity on year-end bonuses.The company, in which the IDC has a 59% stake, said the strike ended after the company agreed to pay 70% of the equivalent of a 13th cheque."The impact has been significant, but we have potential to recover," said the company's communications manager, Abby Ledwaba.However, Grain SA's De Villiers said: "If we can't put the fertiliser in with the seed then we are going to get a much lower yield and a much smaller crop. This is the dilemma we are currently faced with."..