Climatic conditions vary greatly in Nigeria, with the south of the country enjoying a very long rainy season between April and November, while the northernmost areas usually plant maize in July for a harvest in September. The major maize producing areas inthe country cover an east-west oriented area roughly between the latitudes of 7and 11 degrees north, with planting varying from March-April (in the south ofthe area) to May (in the north). Altogether, cereals account for about 10% of food production in Nigeria, with cassava and yams being the major food crops,especially in the more humid south. National CropWatch agroclimatic indicators have been close to average during most of the reporting period, listing average rainfall and slightly above average temperature and sunshine, which nevertheless are resulting in a 6% drop in biomass production potential due tosome spatial differences not taken into account by the national agroclimaticindices. NDVI profiles have fluctuated over the reporting period, but they weregenerally close to average in July. The combined effect of NDVI profiles, VCIx(0.83 average, with low values concentrated in the northern half of thecountry) and CALF (-10%) indicates generally average conditions, with thepossibility of a somewhat late season in the north.

Figure3.22. Nigeria crop condition, April-July2015

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

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