The Fiji Meteorological Service says there are high chances of receiving above average rainfall between February to April because of a weak La Niña event in the Pacific Ocean.
The weather office said this in an outlook released last week, saying sugarcane farmers should start planting their 2023 crop by March.
“The sugarcane growing areas have received above average rainfall in the last three months October-December,” said Fiji Met.
“With the La Niña event in place, farmers can expect frequent rainfall (which can be heavy at times), strong winds (damaging at times), drop in night temperatures and low-pressure systems.
“The predicted rainfall and forecast for warmer air conditions will favour rapid weed germination and growth and growers must adopt integrated weed management that includes manual weeding followed by weedicides application to control the weeds.
“Land preparation for 2023 season planting should commence in early March and planting of cane to be planned from mid-March to mid-May.”
The weather office also advised farmers to ensure the field and main drains in and around their farms were cleaned to allow easy drainage of excess water from the fields to avoid water logging.
