Divisi
When to plant Banana in Analamanga
Madagascar
Banana and plantain are one giant perennial herb (Musa), not a tree — the tall 'trunk' is really rolled leaf-sheaths growing from an underground corm.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 16 Oct 2026 – 20 Jan 2027 opens in 2 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 25.1 t/ha | about 45.2 t/ha |
| Work it takes | 110–225 days per hectare, by hand | |
Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.
If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 28 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Analamanga leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 20 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Analamanga
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For banana in Analamanga, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. You cannot flatten it, but you can farm it: plant along the contour rather than up and down, ridge or tie ridges to hold water on the slope, and expect shallower rooting than the crop would manage on flat ground.
The 2026/27 season in Analamanga
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to May 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,254 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 1,174 mm in the driest of 13 districts to about 1,664 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January and February look short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.2 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can. |
| What that supports | enough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 84% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 189 growing days · about 1,320 mm · October to May |
|---|---|
| 4% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 193 growing days · about 1,430 mm · October to May |
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 325 growing days · about 1,470 mm · October to September |
last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 13 areas within it
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
What banana needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.5 |
| Spacing | 250 cm between rows, 250 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium, nitrogen and magnesium |
What it takes to grow banana in Analamanga
| Planting material | About 2,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 113 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 31 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 376 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 110–225 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a banana crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.
What to watch for
Grow Banana with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Analamanga as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.
Banana in nearby districts
This calendar moves
Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.
Frequently asked questions
Will banana grow well in Analamanga?
Analamanga rates as favourable for banana.
When should I plant banana in Analamanga?
Typically 16 Oct 2026 to 20 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Analamanga, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
