ASHLEY MASAKADZA

The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has told the nation that the excessive rains that hit several parts of the country in the past days do not mark the beginning of this year’s raining season, and urged farmers not to plant their crops.

In a statement,  the MSD said farmers can use the moisture to speed up land preparation and tillage. Only those with irrigation facilities were encouraged to plant.

“Many parts of the country have received substantial rains this week. The Meteorological Services Department advises that it is not the start of the rainy season. We advise farmers to use these rains to speed up land preparation (holing for Pfumvudza/Intwasa and accelerating tillage for those practising conventional farming). Farmers are discouraged from planting unless they have adequate irrigation.

“We expect the weather to clear soon so wheat farmers may expect a better assessment of the crop. Unless a farmer has access to drying facilities, no harvesting is advisable until the moisture content is in the acceptable range,” said Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri.

These rains caused a lot of damaged in various areas. The strong winds that accompanied the rains uprooted a lot of trees and billboards in Harare. In some areas, roofs were blown away. In Buhera, 5 people were reportedly killed by a lightning strike.