When to plant Cocoa in Mbadjini Ouest

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Cocoa

Grande Comore (Ngazidja), Comores

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a small evergreen tree of the hot, wet tropics.

Cocoa in Mbadjini Ouest, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant (establish) 28 Oct 2026 – 11 Apr 2027 opens in 4 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 1.4 t/ha same
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 1 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Mbadjini Ouest is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 11 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Mbadjini Ouest

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 60%

For cocoa in Mbadjini Ouest, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 season in Mbadjini Ouest

When the rains are expectedSeptember 2026 to September 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 2,184 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 2,184 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +0.7 °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 supportsenough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 64% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
64% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 2,180 mm · September to September
18% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 342 growing days · about 1,850 mm · September to September
18% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 358 growing days · about 2,130 mm · September to September

last updated 17 September 2026

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 Mbadjini Ouest

Planting materialAbout 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 shopsA 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 work128–255 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Cocoa with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Mbadjini Ouest 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.

Or check your field first

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 Mbadjini Ouest?

Mbadjini Ouest rates as favourable for cocoa.

When should I plant cocoa in Mbadjini Ouest?

Typically 28 Oct 2026 to 11 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Mbadjini Ouest, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Mbadjini Ouest

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.