Farmers need rain ahead of dry January

It might be El Nino season in South Africa but when it rains, it pours.

It has been a stormy but dry summer across South Africa with more frequently reported severe storms accompanied by damaging winds and intense hail storms, as recently seen in parts of Johannesburg last month and the tornado in the small farming town of Bethal in Mpumalanga last month.

According to the monthly public recorded rainfall data recorded by the South African Weather Service, some parts of Joburg recorded 50% less rain than usual, with 53mm versus the average of 104mm.

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Skukuza recorded 29mm versus the normal average of 94mm, while Polokwane recorded 25mm versus its 96mm average.

South African Weather Service forecaster Vanisha Phakula said it was difficult to say if it would be a rainy Christmas because the weather changed quickly.

Phakula said Gauteng will continue to experience a30% chance of showers and thundershowers until Tuesday, with Friday and Saturday indicating the highest possibility of rain.

TLU SA general manager Bennie van Zyl said getting more rain would be a blessing for Christmas as some farmers still needed rain ahead of the traditionally dry January.

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“It’s now that time of the year and the season where we see the reaction of the mielies/maize to the conditions, including the rain and extreme heat,” he said. Van Zyl said you could see the dire conditions of some of the maize with small heads.

“But if you drive five kilometres, the maize has grown big, it all depends on the rain and the heat,” he said. Van Zyl said January was usually the most challenging because it was traditionally the driest month for farmers.

“Some of the farmers in the west side of the country only started planning now and were waiting for follow-up rainfall to grow the crops,” he said.

Van Zyl said the recent intense heatwaves have affected crops because they influenced the moisture levels in the ground and the rate of evaporation.

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“Our biggest challenge remains rain. There are still farmers in dire need of more rain,” he said. Agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo said the recent rains across some regions of South Africa came as a relief.

“The crop was already taking a strain in some early planted regions from the heatwave. Fortunately, the weather outlook for the next two weeks is also promising. We could [get] good showers over the summer crop-growing areas of South Africa,” he said.

Sihlobo said he was optimistic about the rainfall for the rest of the season.

“While we are in an El Nino period, which typically brings dryness over South Africa and the region, the weather forecasters believe we could receive rain at least until March,” he said.

“Only then the El Nino-induced dryness may likely intensify. If we go with that logic if the temperatures are not super-hot, we could have another decent agricultural season.”