Divisi
When to plant Rice in Nambuangongo
Bengo, Angola
Known here as arroz
Rice is a grass that lives on water.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 19 Dec 2026 – 9 Mar 2027 opens in 11 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 3.4 t/ha | about 2.6 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 19 Mar 2027 to 6 Aug 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 69–107 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 98% | |
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 28 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Nambuangongo 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 9 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Nambuangongo
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For rice in Nambuangongo, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. 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 Nambuangongo
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to July 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,002 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — October, November 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 +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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 73% of this area. |
| 73% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 282 growing days · about 1,010 mm · September to July |
|---|---|
| 25% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 252 growing days · about 1,060 mm · October to July |
last updated 16 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 35% of yield here.
What rice needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | loam, clay loam or clay |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 20 cm between rows, 20 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and zinc |
What it takes to grow rice in Nambuangongo
| Planting material | About 600,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 51 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 17 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 75 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 | 69–107 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a rice 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 Rice with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Nambuangongo 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.
Rice 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 rice grow well in Nambuangongo?
Nambuangongo rates as favourable for rice.
When should I plant rice in Nambuangongo?
Typically 19 Dec 2026 to 9 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Nambuangongo, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
