When to plant Niger seed in Harari

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Niger seed

These figures also cover Harari, where the engine returns the same answer.

Ethiopia

Known here as ኑግ (nug)

Niger seed — noug — is a tall, upright plant with bright yellow, daisy-like flowers, grown for the small black, oily seeds that are pressed into sweet, light noug cooking oil.

Niger seed in Harari, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 11 Jun 2027 – 21 Jul 2027 opens in 36 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest 0.7–0.9 t/ha same
Harvest From 9 Sep 2027 to 18 Dec 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 90–150 days after planting
Work it takes 64–134 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 94%

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

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

Planting after 21 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Harari

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 88%
The lie of the land 60%

For niger seed in Harari, 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 2027 season in Harari

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMarch 2027 to October 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 637 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 637 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.3 °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 full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers3 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
73% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 213 growing days · about 630 mm · March to October
17% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 187 growing days · about 570 mm · March to October
10% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 167 growing days · about 540 mm · March to October

last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 1 areas within it

What niger seed needs to grow here

Soil it likes clay, clay loam or loam
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.0
Feed it most with nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur

What it takes to grow niger seed in Harari

Nitrogen (N)About 30 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 11 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 12 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 work64–134 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a niger seed 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 Niger seed with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Harari 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

Niger seed 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 niger seed grow well in Harari?

Harari rates as favourable for niger seed.

When should I plant niger seed in Harari?

Typically 11 Jun 2027 to 21 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Harari, 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 Harari

Keep going

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