Agricultural engineers say the rains announce the planting season to begin by mid March.

Farmers have been warned to watch out against ongoing rainfall across the country. The rains are customary and in no way signal the start of the planting season. In a chat with Cameroon Tribune yesterday February 21, Djakou Dagobert, Unit Chief for Prospective Analyses and Agricultural Policy in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the current rains are only a prelude to the planting expected by mid March.

He said for some years now, rains have become irregular as a result of climate change factors like deforestation and droughts. Most often in February, rain fall becomes heavy, enticing some farmers to plant early in the belief it is already rainy season. “Farmers are advised not to plant now because we have observed that after such rains, we usually have intense sunshine which goes on till mid March when the rainy season usually begins,” he noted.

Dispelling speculations by some farmers in some regions that the planting season is ripe, Mr Djakou Dagobert said in the West like other regions for example, tubers like yam and cassava seedlings can be planted now. This, he warned, does not apply to other crops like maize, beans and groundnuts. “The rains are only announcing the imminent planting season, alerting farmers to prepare their farms and seeds for planting,” he advised.