When to plant Rice in Jilib

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Rice

Middle Juba, Somalia

Rice is a grass that lives on water.

Rice in Jilib, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 25 Mar 2027 – 14 Apr 2027 opens in 25 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 3.1 t/ha about 7.0 t/ha
Harvest From 23 Jun 2027 to 11 Sep 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 64%

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

This season's outlook for Jilib leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.

Planting after 14 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Jilib

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

For rice in Jilib, the soil is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 2027 season in Jilib

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMarch 2027 to July 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 539 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — make sure water can drain off the field.
What that supportsenough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 94% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
94% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 148 growing days · about 550 mm · March to July
3% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 113 growing days · about 420 mm · April to July

last updated 16 September 2026

Limited water holds back about 40% 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 Jilib

Planting materialAbout 600,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 46 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 16 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 68 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 work69–107 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableNot enough water in seasonSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Rice with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Jilib 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

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 Jilib?

Jilib rates as favourable for rice.

When should I plant rice in Jilib?

Typically 25 Mar 2027 to 14 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Jilib, 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 Jilib

Keep going

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