Rainfall patterns normal except in Niger, says FAO

The rainy season started between late April and May in southern Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea-Bissau and Mali, south-west Niger and south-east Senegal, but seasonably dry conditions prevail in the rest of Senegal, Cape Verde, The Gambia and Mauritania, the FAO reports. This corresponds to the normal pattern in the Sahel, except for Niger where the onset of the rains has been late, FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System (FAO/GIEWS) says. in its first Sahel Weather and Crop situation report for this year. Land is being prepared and planted now that the rains have begun, according to the report. Dry planting is also underway in Mauritania and Niger, it reports, adding that crops are emerging satisfactorily in southern Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali although improved rains are needed in the coming weeks. Seed availability is generally adequate following above-average to record harvests in most Sahelian countries in 1999, it says.