Panic struck among farmers this week when rain hit large parts of Zambia. The Meteorological Department, however cautioned against harvesting as this would damage the maize crop.

“Farmers must not rush to harvest and heap their maize in fields because of the rain we experienced, as this will result in germination,” warned director Joseph Kanyanga.

He said heaping the maize will also attract stalk borers due to the rain.

According to him, rain in the 2016/2017 season increased due to the influence of La Niña.

“La Niña brings more rain than El Niño, which causes more droughts. So, the season has more rainfall as we are experiencing El Niña,” Kanyanga said.

Zambia is set for a bumper maize harvest despite the occurrence of fall armyworm and stalk borer which plagued farmers this season.