Mozambique: Lack of rain and pests destroy more than 125,000 hectares of crops in Tete province
Rains will be good in January-March in most of the country and should be good for agricultural production, according to INAM forecasts. But rains will be below normal and less than needed by the farmers in much of the country until the end of the year, particularly in some of the most productive regions of Nampula, Niassa and Cabo Delgado – as well as parts of Zambezia and Angonia in Tete. This will force farmers to delay planting in many areas.
For January-March, the forecast is below normal rain in the south (Maputo, and south of Gaza and Inhambane) and the north of Cabo Delgado; above normal in the centre (Tete, Zambezia, Sofala and Manica. plus north of Gaza and Inhambane); and normal in the north (Nampula, Niassa, and southern Cabo Delgado).
Little flooding is predicted for the rest of this year, but for January-March 2018 INAM predicts a moderate to high (50-75%) flood risk on the Incomati, Save, Buzi, Pungue, Savane, Licungo, Megaruma and Messalo rivers, and a moderate risk on the Maputo, Umbeluzi, Limpopo, Gorongosa, Zambeze, Raraga, Ligonha, Monapo, Lurio Montepuez and Rovuma rivers. There is a high risk of flooding in some neighbourhoods of Maputo and Beira.
By Joseph Hanlon
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