Most parts of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are expected to receive normal to above-normal rainfall during the forthcoming 2020/21 farming season that kicks off in October, according to a forecast published on Friday.
The forecast by the Southern African Regional Climate Outlook Forum showed that the bulk of the SADC region is likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall for most of the period October to December 2020, except for north-western Angola, bulk of Democratic Republic of Congo, eastern Madagascar, northern Malawi, northern Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania and north-eastern Zambia.
These areas are forecast to get below-normal rains during the first three months of the season.
“The January to March 2021 period is expected to have normal to above normal rainfall for the entire region,” the forecast said.
The forecast is expected to come as good news to most SADC farmers following successive years of crippling droughts that have seen nearly 45 million people in the region being food-insecure following a poor harvest during the 2019/20 season.
JN/APA