Fact check: What did they say about planting summer crops? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 24, 2023
Claim: Zimbabwe social media platforms have been awash with claims that Zimbabwe’s agricultural ministry is advising farmers to plant their summer crops following some substantial rains over the last two weeks.
Is it true or false that officials have made this recommendation, and see the recent as  the beginning of the summer crop planting season?
Verdict: No, its not true.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development   and the Meterological Services Department of Zimbabwe released an advisory statement  dated October 17 discouraging farmers from planting now, except those with backup   irrigation facilities.
However the Ministry encouraged anxious farmers to speed up land preparation.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) projects that planting of 2024 cereal crops is expected to start in November, with the harvest period beginning next April.
According to FAO the weather outlook indicates high probabilities of below‑average rainfall between October 2023 and February 2024, which may adversely affect the level of plantings and yields.
The confluence of above‑average temperatures, which are also forecast this season, raises the risk of heat stress on crops, a further factor weighing on production prospects.
Food and Agriculture Organisation https://www.fao.org/giews/countrybrief/country
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development
Meterological Services Department of Zimbabwe
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