When to plant Taro in Kailo

Maniema, République démocratique du Congo

Known here as majimbi · jimbi · 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 Kailo, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure	Rain-fed	With irrigation
Fit	Favourable
When to plant (establish)	2 Mar 2027 – 20 Jul 2027 opens in 22 weeks	21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest	about 17.7 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-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 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Kailo 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 20 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Kailo

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

For taro in Kailo, 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 Kailo

When the rains are expected	June 2026 to June 2026
Rain in a typical year	About 1,371 mm
This season's rain	Leaning wet — make sure water can drain off the field.
What that supports	enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers	One kind of ground throughout.

last updated 30 September 2026

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 Kailo

Planting material	About 24,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)	About 80 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)	About 40 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)	About 133 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

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

Grow Taro with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Kailo 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

How to grow Taro, step by step Land preparation to harvest — every task, in order

Frequently asked questions

Will taro grow well in Kailo?

Kailo rates as favourable for taro.

When should I plant taro in Kailo?

Typically 2 Mar 2027 to 20 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

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