By Prossy Nandudu
Farmers in Northern and Eastern parts of the country have been cautioned against planting crops, following the recent rains, as these are may not penetrate and stay in the soil to support plant growth.
According to a senior metrology officer at Uganda National Meteorological Authority, George William Omonyi, only farmers in the central and Southwestern should go ahead and plant crops.
Omonyi however warned that even those in central and Southwestern parts of the country, should only go ahead and plant after making sure that the soil has retained enough water.
His advice follows the rush by farmers to their gardens to plant crops, following recent rains that have been experienced in different part of the country.
Instead, farmers should prepare their gardens, by looking out for suppliers of quality agro inputs like seed, fertilizers, while those without land should have hired land and prepared it for the next planting season.
Omonyi explained that although the recent rains, signify the onset of the seasonal rains for the first planting season, farmers should wait for another one to two weeks, for activities of the two tropical cyclones from Mozambique and Madagascar to move away from African region, which includes Uganda.
Tropical cyclones, also known as typhoons are intense circular storms that originate from the Indian Ocean, whenever there is too much heat. They have a maximum sustained wind speed exceeding 119 kilometers per hour accompanied with heavy rains, which can be destructive.
He explained that, while the cyclones are on the move, they keep sucking all the water vapor in the atmosphere, a process that usually lasts one or two weeks, making it impossible for rain formation.
