When to plant Cotton in Abyei PCA area

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Cotton

Abyei PCA, Sudan

Cotton is grown for one thing: the soft white fibre — the lint — that grows wrapped around the seeds inside a pod called a boll.

Cotton in Abyei PCA area, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 14 May 2027 – 3 Jun 2027 opens in 32 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 2.3 t/ha about 4.0 t/ha
Harvest From 11 Oct 2027 to 30 Dec 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 150–210 days after planting
Work it takes 91–187 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 88%

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 3 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

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

Planting after 3 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Abyei PCA area

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

For cotton in Abyei PCA area, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.

The 2027 season in Abyei PCA area

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMay 2027 to October 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 565 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 565 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.7 °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 one short crop, and only if timed to it, 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 92% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
92% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 142 growing days · about 600 mm · May to October
8% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 135 growing days · about 570 mm · May to October

last updated 30 September 2026

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.

What cotton needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam, loam, clay loam or clay soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.5
Spacing 90 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants
Feed it most with nitrogen, potassium and boron

What it takes to grow cotton in Abyei PCA area

Planting materialAbout 80,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 64 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 32 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 69 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 work91–187 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a cotton 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 — manageable

Grow Cotton with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Abyei PCA area 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

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 cotton grow well in Abyei PCA area?

Abyei PCA area rates as favourable for cotton.

When should I plant cotton in Abyei PCA area?

Typically 14 May 2027 to 3 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Abyei PCA area, 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 Abyei PCA area

Keep going

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