03 Sep 2020

The Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control, Ms Oarabile Serumola has urged farmers to take advantage of the released weather forecast and plough early and benefit from the projected rain patterns.

Addressing the media in Gaborone on Wednesday, Ms Serumola described the season as exciting for farmers hence urging them to cultivate their fields early to get the desired benefits. 

By ploughing early, Ms Serumola said farmers were guaranteed impressive production as pests would be limited and easy to control.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director at the Department of Meteorological Services, (DMS) Mr Radithupa Radithupa said weather forecast benefited policy making decisions in climate sensitive sectors for socio-economic purposes as well as managing risks arising from climate variability and change.

Mr Radithupa said the purpose of releasing weather forecasts reports was to provide all concerned stakeholders with the necessary information relating to rainfall and temperature outlook and therefore guide them accordingly in decision making.

The weather forecast department said, the country was expected to receive normal to above normal rainfall in the 2020/2021 season. Principal Meteorologist, Ms Esther Jansen said during the first half season from October to December 2020 most of the country with the exception of southwest was expected to receive normal to above normal rainfall.

She said Kgalagadi region was expected to receive normal to below normal rainfall. “Temperatures for this period are expected to be normal to above normal,” she said.

During the second half of the outlook season, from January to March 2021, Ms Jansen said, the bulk of the country would receive normal to above normal rains, with the Northern part receiving above normal rainfall.  Ms Jansen added that temperatures would be normal, with the tendency of going below normal over most areas. Generally, Ms Jansen said a moderately wet season was expected countrywide during the second half of the outlook period.

She further added that temperatures were also expected to be normal to above normal. “Above normal temperatures expected from October to December and normal temperatures at the beginning of 2021,” said Ms Jansen. Ends