The Meteorological Agency of Nigeria has advised Nigerian farmers to procure high yield crops for this planting season, as a short rainy season is expected this year.
The agency says rainfall cessation is expected to be earlier than normal in most parts of the north and central states and much later in the southernmost areas.
The Director General of the agency, Dr Anthony Anuforom, told a news conference during the 2014 seasonal rainfall prediction that the onset dates would vary between the first week of March in the southern states and late June in the northern parts of the country.
“Certain areas will have very low comfort index in the month of March. The level of temperature and humidity in some northern states will be low.
“For the rainfall, we looked at rainfall parameters and what we saw is that some parts in the south, particularly south-east and south-west may have delayed onset of rainy season.
“The onset ranges from first week of March in the south to sometime in June in the north,” he said.
Dr Anuforom urged Nigerians to heed the agency’s warnings.
The Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr Samuel Ortom, told the reporters that the Federal Government would continue to put measures in place to avert a repeat of the 2012 flooding that affected many parts of the country.
The 2014 seasonal rainfall prediction by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency is a stitch in time for Nigerian farmers and all those whose means of livelihood depend on the vagaries of weather.