Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Perrance Shiri

BELOW normal rainfall was received across most parts of the country since the start of the 2017/18 rainfall season in October, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) has said.
“The bulk of the country has so far received below normal rainfall since the start of the 2017/18 rainfall season in October. Mashonaland West Province (the highest maize producer) is the worst affected, having received significantly below normal rains. Because of low rainfall, planted area is atypically low in some areas, especially in the north.
“Crop germination and establishment in some areas has been and will continue to be affected. Moisture stress is being experienced for crops at the early vegetative stages in some areas. There is generally low agricultural activity in most areas,” the December 2017 FEWSNET report said.
The latest Southern African Development Community (SADC) Agromet Update for December, 2017 revised the national rainfall forecast for the period between January and March 2018 from “normal to above normal” to “normal” season.
While a normal start of the season was expected, many areas, especially in the south-east and north-east had an early start of the season, while others in the north and western parts of the country had a late start.
“An earlier assumption about the start of the crop input distribution specified that this would begin ahead of the onset of the rains in October. However, field reports indicate that these distributions were still on-going and in mid-December, a significant proportion of households had not received inputs,” FEWSNET reported.
The SADC seasonal rainfall forecast released at the Southern African Regional Climate Outlook  Forum in August predicted that most parts of the region were likely to receive normal to below normal rainfall in the first half of the season, while normal to above normal rainfall was expected during the second half of the season.
According to the National Climate Outlook Forum released by the Meteorological Services Department, normal to below normal rains were expected during the first half of the season in the southern parts of the country, while normal to above normal rains should be received during the second half of the season, meaning that the country was expecting normal to above-normal rains throughout the season.
The department has recommended cloud seeding given the slow start of the  season, particularly in the southern parts of the country.
Major dams in the country as of January 10 were above 50 percent with the exception of Kariba and Lake Mutirikwi at 36 and 38 percent respectively.
The country’s weather experts will continue to monitor all the available seasonal climate indicators which influence Zimbabwe’s rainfall as they evolve. — [email protected]