When to plant Taro in Guiglo

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Taro

Cavally, Côte d'Ivoire

Known here as taro

Cocoyam, or taro (Colocasia esculenta), is a broad-leaved plant grown for its corm — a heavy, potato-like food store that swells underground — and, in some types, for its tender young leaves.

Taro in Guiglo, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant (establish) 29 Jan 2027 – 18 Feb 2027 opens in 17 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 13.6 t/ha about 26.6 t/ha
Bearing cycle 180–540 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle.
Work it takes 111–233 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 76%

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 29 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Guiglo 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 18 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Guiglo

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

For taro in Guiglo, 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 Guiglo

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedFebruary 2026 to November 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,484 mm
This season's rainLeaning 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 heatHotter 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 supportsenough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 61% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
61% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 290 growing days · about 1,530 mm · February to November
38% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 324 growing days · about 1,650 mm · February to December

last updated 30 September 2026

Limited water holds back about 25% of yield here.

What taro needs to grow here

Soil it likes clay loam, clay or loam
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5
Spacing 70 cm between rows, 70 cm between plants
Feed it most with potassium

What it takes to grow taro in Guiglo

Planting materialAbout 24,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 61 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 31 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 102 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 work111–233 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a taro 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 optimumLate-maturing — drought risk

Grow Taro with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Guiglo 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

Taro 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 taro grow well in Guiglo?

Guiglo rates as favourable for taro.

When should I plant taro in Guiglo?

Typically 29 Jan 2027 to 18 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Guiglo, 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 Guiglo

Keep going

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