Divisi
When to plant Niger seed in Ambohimahasoa
Haute Matsiatra, Madagascar
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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 11 Oct 2026 – 16 Mar 2027 opens in 1 week | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 0.8 t/ha | same |
| Harvest | From 9 Jan 2027 to 13 Aug 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-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 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Ambohimahasoa 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 16 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Ambohimahasoa
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For niger seed in Ambohimahasoa, 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 2026/27 season in Ambohimahasoa
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to May 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,212 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February 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 +1.3 °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 supports | enough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 47% of this area. |
| 47% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 203 growing days · about 1,210 mm · October to May |
|---|---|
| 39% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 326 growing days · about 1,420 mm · October to September |
| 9% | 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 1,320 mm · October to August |
last updated 17 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 20% of yield here.
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 Ambohimahasoa
| Nitrogen (N) | About 30 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 11 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 12 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 | 64–134 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
Grow Niger seed with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Ambohimahasoa 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.
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 Ambohimahasoa?
Ambohimahasoa rates as favourable for niger seed.
When should I plant niger seed in Ambohimahasoa?
Typically 11 Oct 2026 to 16 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Ambohimahasoa, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
