Divisi
When to plant Maize in Haute Matsiatra
Madagascar
C4 annual grass, wind- and cross-pollinated — buy hybrid seed fresh each season and isolate seed crops / sweetcorn from field maize by ~200 m.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 31 Oct 2026 – 9 Jan 2027 opens in 4 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 6.5 t/ha | about 9.3 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 28 Feb 2027 to 29 May 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 120–140 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 82–165 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 31 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Haute Matsiatra is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 9 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Haute Matsiatra
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For maize in Haute Matsiatra, 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 season in Haute Matsiatra
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,452 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 950 mm in the driest of 7 districts to about 1,452 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 1,452 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.1 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 47% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 169 growing days · about 1,060 mm · November to April |
|---|---|
| 33% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 185 growing days · about 1,110 mm · October to April |
| 11% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 327 growing days · about 1,400 mm · October to September |
| 3% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 286 growing days · about 1,260 mm · October to August |
last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 7 areas within it
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
What maize needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.5 |
| Spacing | 75 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | sulphur, zinc and magnesium |
What it takes to grow maize in Haute Matsiatra
| Planting material | About 53,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 104 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 52 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 39 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 | 82–165 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a maize 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 Maize with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Haute Matsiatra 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.
Maize 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 maize grow well in Haute Matsiatra?
Haute Matsiatra rates as favourable for maize.
When should I plant maize in Haute Matsiatra?
Typically 31 Oct 2026 to 9 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Haute Matsiatra, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
