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Last month, the country received rainfall with the Met department discouraging farmers from planting.
According to the department, farmers should seek guidance from relevant extension authorities on agricultural activities.
Zimbabwe expects a normal rainfall season during the 2011/12 summer cropping season.
The first half of the season, which covers October, November and December, is expected to have normal rains with a bias towards below normal rains while the second half (January, February and
March) is expected to have normal rains with a bias towards above normal. To increase rain, the MSD carries out cloud seeding.
MSD-head of Public Weather Services, Mr Tich Zinyemba said the idea behind cloud seeding was to assist in augmenting rain, which naturally would be precipitating from clouds, not creating clouds.
“This therefore means for the exercise to be useful, there should be clouds that by their own produce rain and these are the ones that are seeded,” he said.
Mr Zinyemba said the MSD, with the assistance of its parent Ministry of Transport, and Infrastructural Development and the Ministry of Finance were geared to undertake cloud seeding operations as soon as weather conditions permit.
Traditionally, cloud seeding has always been done as soon as the rains become more organised as opposed to sporadic thundershowers.
Online Reporter