Hot weather and scanty rainfall are dimming the outlook for crops and livestock in southern Africa, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Some farmers have delayed sowing crops while waiting for rain while dry weather hurts emerging crops. “It’s the sixth week of the cropping season now and there’s not enough moisture in the soil,” said an FAO official. Forecasts say below-normal rainfall is probable through March in many countries in the region. “The likelihood of another poor season is troublesome as it comes on the heels of a poor one that has already depleted inventories, tightened supplies and pushed up local prices,” said FAO.
South Africa, the largest grain grower in the region, has declared drought in its main cereal-grain regions, said FAO. Two years ago, South Africa grew nearly 15 million tonnes of corn and now USDA forecasts a crop of 12 million tonnes.
An FAO agency said that El Niño also was causing agricultural stress in northern Australia, parts of Indonesia and a large swathe of Brazil and Central America.