The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADER) recommends delaying the start of sowing for the first agricultural season of the 2024-25 period in the north of the country to avoid the risk of low productivity due to the lack of rain in the forecast..

In a publication by Terra MagazineThe representative of the National Directorate of Family Farming, Hiten Shah, said last week, during the launch of the seasonal forecast for the 2024-2025 rainy season, that, given the forecasts for the rainy season, which starts in October, the agricultural campaign should start differently between the country's regions.

"For the northern region, we're recommending a late start to sowing due to the forecast shortage of rain. What we're saying is that instead of starting sowing in November, it's best to delay until December, to reduce the risk of the campaign failing," said Hiten Shah.

According to the source, for the southern and central zones, the recommendation is for the sowing campaign to follow the normal, staggered cycle, as the forecasts indicate good water satisfaction in the first season.

For the second season (January, February and March) "the forecast is for good water satisfaction in all regions, but we have some spots with medium to low satisfaction, for the provinces of Tete and Zambézia and Gaza, which we will be monitoring permanently so that we can reduce any risk of failure in the campaign," he explained, defending the need for family farmers to be attentive to the guidelines that the authorities are giving.

(Photo DR)