After years of perennial drought, the region will be blessed with good rains for the second season in a row.

According to a seasonal forecast from the 25th Southern African Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF 25), normal to above-normal rainfall is most likely over the bulk of SADC in the period from October to December (OND) 2021.

The north-western part of Angola, bulk of Democratic Republic of Congo, western and southern Madagascar, northern Malawi, northern Mozambique, western fringes of Namibia and South Africa, south-western United Republic of Tanzania and north-eastern Zambia are likely to receive normal to below-normal rains.

The January to March (JFM) 2022 period is expected to have normal to above normal rainfall for most of the region except for, south-western fringes of Angola, western fringes of Namibia and South Africa.

Zimbabwe is forecast to receive normal to above normal rains in the October-November-December period as well in the last half of the 2021 -2022 cropping season – January – February – March (2022) phase.

If the forecast comes to pass, this will be a major boost for Zimbabwe. Dams that have been losing water to evaporation, irrigation and urban consumption drawdowns, will replenish, giving good stocks for the whole of 2022.

Another bumper harvest will mean more food, lower prices and massive savings on imports yet again.

This is a boost that Zimbabwe actually deserves after a number of economic and development programmes were slowed down by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Government must grab this God-given blessing with both hands.

The Presidential Inputs Scheme, which is the flagship of the Agriculture Recovery Plan, must be implemented timeously.

The Intwasa/Pfumvudza farming concept must be implemented by all rural farmers and related inputs disbursed on time.

Dams need to be desilted to reduce algal blooms and the proportion of water lost to evaporation.

The 2021 – 2022 cropping season could be the last to record above normal rainfall before another bout of drought, therefore, heads must be put together and a clear plan must be communicated.

It is time to work. October is around the corner; hence a lot of ground must be covered by then.

Just after the country boasted of recording the biggest maize harvest in 20 years, the possibility of a bigger harvest is upon us.

As Cabinet announced in June, food insecurity in Zimbabwe fell to 27 percent this year from 56 percent last year as a result of the record harvest.

The country is expecting to produce about 2.8 million tonnes of maize this year against annual national consumption of 1.8 million tonnes.

About US$200 million that has been saved on maize imports will go a long way in growing the economy as well as fighting Covid-19.

Another bumper harvest could easily result in growing exports, and that is more foreign currency for national development.

We urge Government to put the shoulder to the wheel and farmers to play their part. Water authorities and local councils should also make the most of this forecast.

Lightning has struck twice for Zimbabwe.