When to plant Sesame in Amudat

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Sesame

Northern, Uganda

Known here as ufuta

Sesame — also called simsim or benniseed — is a tough, upright oilseed that grows from knee to shoulder height and gives a seed that is about half oil.

Sesame in Amudat, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 3 Mar 2027 – 24 Apr 2027 opens in 22 weeks 30 Jun 2026 – 21 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 0.8 t/ha same
Harvest From 1 Jun 2027 to 1 Sep 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 90–130 days after planting
Work it takes 65–129 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 93%

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 29 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Amudat is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 24 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Amudat

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

For sesame in Amudat, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 88%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.

The 2027 season in Amudat

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMarch 2027 to December 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 719 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 719 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.5 °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 supportsenough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 44% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
44% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 195 growing days · about 730 mm · March to December
43% 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 · March to December
6% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 194 growing days · about 730 mm · March to December
3% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 196 growing days · about 750 mm · March to December

last updated 17 September 2026

Temperature holds back about 30% of yield here.

What sesame needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.5
Rain it needs About 300–600 mm across the season
Spacing 37 cm between rows, 7 cm between plants
Feed it most with nitrogen, phosphorus and boron

What it takes to grow sesame in Amudat

Planting materialAbout 265,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 44 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 12 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 40 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 work65–129 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a sesame 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 — manageable

Grow Sesame with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Amudat 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

Sesame 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 sesame grow well in Amudat?

Amudat rates as favourable for sesame.

When should I plant sesame in Amudat?

Typically 3 Mar 2027 to 24 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Amudat, 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 Amudat

Keep going

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