Farmers urged to consult Agritex

Karen Mhlanga

THE Meteorological Services Department has urged farmers to get advice on how to proceed with their farming activities from Agritex.

The Met Department’s chief forecaster, James Ngoma, said there would be a reduction in rainfall across the country, with sunny conditions persisting.

He said although this weather presents an opportunity for farmers to start preparations, they should do so after consulting Agritex officials.

“We still urge them to do it in consultation with Agritex in terms of what crops to grow and which methods to use.

“We have been having sharp downpours in a number of places, and we therefore still advise that water harvesting is the most suitable way to ensure that you have sustainable agriculture throughout the season.

“As we can see that dry spells are still upon us even when we have got significant downpours. The rest of this week has got a significant reduction in that rainfall with more of sunny conditions, but the moisture within the ground right now is sufficient for crops to be sustained for much of this period of the dry spell,” he said.

Ngoma said another wet spell is expected next week.

“We still remind the public of the possibility of lightning strikes as they tend to be prevalent during this season,” he said.