Divisi
When to plant Cocoa in North-West
Cameroon
Known here as cacao · cacaoyer
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a small evergreen tree of the hot, wet tropics.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 25 Mar 2027 – 13 Jun 2027 opens in 25 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.4 t/ha | about 1.9 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 150–180 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. | |
| Work it takes | 128–255 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 4 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for North-West 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 13 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in North-West
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For cocoa in North-West, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The 2026 season in North-West
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | March 2026 to November 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,657 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 1,537 mm in the driest of 7 districts to about 2,125 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — September and October 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 +0.9 °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 | 6 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 55% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 257 growing days · about 1,780 mm · March to November |
|---|---|
| 19% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 274 growing days · about 1,930 mm · March to November |
| 10% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 275 growing days · about 1,780 mm · March to November |
| 6% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 310 growing days · about 2,180 mm · February to December |
| 5% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 310 growing days · about 2,000 mm · February to December |
| 3% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 265 growing days · about 1,700 mm · March to November |
last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 7 areas within it
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
What cocoa needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 300 cm between rows, 300 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium |
What it takes to grow cocoa in North-West
| Planting material | About 1,100 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 56 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 20 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 105 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 | 128–255 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a cocoa 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 Cocoa with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes North-West 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.
Cocoa 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 cocoa grow well in North-West?
North-West rates as favourable for cocoa.
When should I plant cocoa in North-West?
Typically 25 Mar 2027 to 13 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across North-West, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
