Divisi
When to plant Cocoa in Ethiopia
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a small evergreen tree of the hot, wet tropics.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 2 Mar 2027 – 30 Jun 2027 opens in 22 weeks | 1 Jan 2027 – 31 Jul 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.0 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 11 Apr 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Ethiopia leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.
Planting after 30 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Ethiopia
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 18% |
For cocoa in Ethiopia, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 18%. 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 Ethiopia
| Rainy seasons | Two each year — two chances to plant |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | August 2026 to December 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 780 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 154 mm in the driest of 107 districts to about 1,811 mm in the wettest |
| Rainy seasons, district by district | Of 107 districts: one rainy season in 82 and two rainy seasons in 9 |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — November and December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself. |
| 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 | 7 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 29% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 310 mm · July to September |
|---|---|
| 17% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 117 growing days · about 520 mm · March to May |
| 10% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 226 growing days · about 1,250 mm · April to November |
| 9% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 217 growing days · about 970 mm · April to November |
| 7% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 146 growing days · about 800 mm · May to October |
| 5% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 147 growing days · about 590 mm · March to June |
| 3% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 224 growing days · about 1,140 mm · March to October |
last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 107 areas within it
Sloping ground holds back about 30% 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 Ethiopia
| Planting material | About 1,100 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 40 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 14 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 75 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 Ethiopia 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 Ethiopia?
Ethiopia rates as favourable for cocoa.
When should I plant cocoa in Ethiopia?
Typically 2 Mar 2027 to 30 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Ethiopia, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
