Dry spells

Farmers have blamed the dry spell for the skyrocketing price of fruit and vegetables, with some produce costing 200 percent more.

The head of the Samoa Meteorological Service, Mulipola Ta'inau Ausetalia Titimaea, said rainfall has been dramatically below normal.

"For example, Apia. The total rainfall for February this year we had -- for the stations in Apia -- was 554mm. And for the March it was way below, with only 55.1mm," Mulipola said.

They are New Caledonia, northern Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tokelau, the northern Cook Islands and the Marquesas.

The forecasters said above normal rainfall for Solomon Islands was also expected.

They also said there was a significant chance of an El Nino weather system developing over the next few months.

El Nino means a warming of the tropical ocean which can lead to more intense storms.

Photo file UNDP. Caption: Drought in Marshall Islands