Divisi
When to plant Taro in Tete
Moçambique
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.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 27.5 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-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 Tete 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 1 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Tete
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For taro in Tete, 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 2026/27 season in Tete
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 985 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 629 mm in the driest of 15 districts to about 1,109 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January and December 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 +1.6 °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 short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 93% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 164 growing days · about 800 mm · November to April |
|---|---|
| 6% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 181 growing days · about 1,000 mm · November to April |
last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 15 areas within it
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% 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 Tete
| Planting material | About 24,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 124 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 62 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 206 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 | 111–233 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
Grow Taro with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Tete 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.
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 Tete?
Tete rates as favourable for taro.
When should I plant taro in Tete?
Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Tete, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
