I am one of the people who remain reasonably optimistic about the possible La Niña rains this 2024-25 summer season. We need the rains to improve agricultural production here in South Africa and across the Southern Africa region.
The forecasts for La Niña remain active, and we have received some scattered rains across South Africa, which have helped immensely with the planting so far. We have various regions that have planted much of the crop.
However, there are regions in South Africa that have not received much rain at all. The heatwave of this past week has worsened conditions in such areas. Parts of Limpopo, Free State, and even the North West are such regions. If one farms in these regions, it is understandable that they would be downbeat and annoyed at all the talk of La Niña.
But I gain comfort from the weather forecast for the next two weeks. It appears that we may finally receive trains in much of the northern regions of South Africa. The forecasts for the week of December 16th are even more favourable – see the coloured parts of the South African map here.
For some regions, the 2024-25 summer crop season may be roughly a month or so late. I also worry a lot about livestock and game farmers in the areas that haven’t received much rain.
Still, I believe there is a possible better 2024-25 agricultural season for South Africa and the Southern Africa region. The broader Southern Africa region may have more challenges with inputs such as fertilisers, but I will say more about that later.
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