Divisi
When to plant Oil palm in Guinea-Bissau
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a single-stemmed palm from the forests of West and Central Africa, and the highest-yielding oil crop in the world.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 19.3 t/ha |
| Work it takes | 77–175 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 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Guinea-Bissau is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 1 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Guinea-Bissau
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For oil palm in Guinea-Bissau, 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 Guinea-Bissau
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | May 2026 to November 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,945 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 1,031 mm in the driest of 39 districts to about 2,420 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 1,945 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.9 °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 one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 71% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 185 growing days · about 1,530 mm · May to November |
|---|---|
| 22% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 178 growing days · about 1,330 mm · June to November |
| 5% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 185 growing days · about 2,010 mm · May to November |
last updated 17 September 2026 · from all 39 areas within it
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
What oil palm needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 4.5 and 6.0 |
| Spacing | 900 cm between rows, 900 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium, nitrogen, magnesium and boron |
What it takes to grow oil palm in Guinea-Bissau
| Planting material | About 143 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 145 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 43 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 203 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 | 77–175 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a oil palm 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 Oil palm with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Guinea-Bissau 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.
Oil palm 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 oil palm grow well in Guinea-Bissau?
Guinea-Bissau rates as favourable for oil palm.
When should I plant oil palm in Guinea-Bissau?
Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Guinea-Bissau, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
