Divisi
When to plant Rice in N'Gourti
Diffa, Niger
Known here as shinkafa
Rice is a grass that lives on water.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 2 Mar 2026 – 10 Feb 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 4.8 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 31 May 2026 to 10 Jul 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-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 10 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for N'Gourti is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 10 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in N'Gourti
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For rice in N'Gourti, 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 season in N'Gourti
| Rain in a typical year | About 35 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 35 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 17 September 2026
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 N'Gourti
| Planting material | About 600,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 72 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 24 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 106 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 N'Gourti 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.
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 N'Gourti?
N'Gourti rates as favourable for rice.
When should I plant rice in N'Gourti?
Typically 2 Mar 2026 to 10 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across N'Gourti, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.