Through its extreme weather patterns, meteorologists are expecting to see above-average rainfalls that are likely to cause flooding.

“What La Nina brings is both good news and bad news”, says Lewis Hove, regional coordinator with the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation.

The good news being plenty of rainfall for the dried out region.

However, “above average rainfall is going to bring with it floods and water logging in some areas”.

The UN agencies warned on Thursday about the risk of further food shortages this flooding is expected to cause.

Despite the financial challenges the agricultural world has suffered at the hands of water shortages, farmers are encouraged to plant earlier so as to benefit most from the coming rain.

Pieter Vorster, chairperson of Agri Letaba, told Letaba Herald that if we haven’t had substantial rain by December there will be serious consequences.

“The Citrus farmers will eventually be forced to select which orchard sections to desert,” Vorster said.

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