The agricultural season started with land preparation and sowing of rice and maize in parts of Maputo and coastal areas of Gaza and Inhambane Provinces, where rainfall started mid-October. In the central and northern regions, the sowing season normally lasts from mid-November to mid-December.

Nationwide RAIN was down 10%, with just about average TEMP and RADPAR up 3%, resulting in a slight drop in BIOMASS (-1%).  Cropped arable land fraction (CALF) reached 90%, with average VCIx at 0.90 and the cropping intensity up 1% to 5%

Clear spatial patterns emerge for NDVI and VCIx, with below average crop condition currently concentrated in the south of the Provinces of Gaza and Inhambane and a small patch in Tete and Zumbu Districts in Tete Province. VCIx is relatively low (0.76) in the Southern region, but between 0.85 and 0.95 in other AEZs. Altogether about 70% of the arable land in the country had average or above average NDVI, essentially in the Center and North, including the Provinces of Tete, Sofala and Manicaland all the way to the Tanzanian border.   Rather high NDVI throughout the monitoring period  (up to 0.15 units above average) even occurred in 5.8% of cropped areas.

The Southern region  recorded low precipitation (RAIN -26% below average) while the temperature increased 0.1°C; it decreased in the Central region (0.3°C). In contrast, the best rainfall was recorded in the Northern High Altitude area with RAIN up 20%. And the area recorded a significant increase in sunshine (+6%) which has led to a 3% increase of BIOMSS. The largest BIOMSS deficits correspond to the  Buzi Basin (-6%) and the Lower Zambezi basin (-2%).    

Considering the early stage of the season, fair crops can still be expected in the country, even in some southern areas. 

Figure 3.31. Mozambique’s crop condition, July - October 2019

(a) Phenology of major crop

(b) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI                (c) Maximum VCI

(d) Spatial NDVI patterns compared to 5YA     (e) NDVI profiles

(f) National time-series rainfall profiles      (g) National time-series temperature profiles

(h) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI (Buzi basin (left) and Northern high-altitude areas (right))

(i) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI (Lower Zambezi River basin (left) and Northern coast region (right)

(j) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI Southern region

Table 3.53. Mozambique’s agroclimatic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and departure from 15YA, July -October 2019

Table 3.54. Mozambique’s agronomic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and, July -October 2019