Divisi
When to plant Sugarcane in Kidal
Mali
Known here as canne à sucre
Sugarcane is a tall, thick, sweet grass grown for the sugar it stores in its stalks.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 83.6 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 360–540 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. |
| Work it takes | 150–315 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 Kidal 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 Kidal
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 30% |
For sugarcane in Kidal, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 30%. 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 Kidal
| Rain in a typical year | About 47 mm in a typical farming district |
|---|---|
| Across its districts | From about 47 mm in the driest of 9 districts to about 100 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 47 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 30 September 2026 · from all 9 areas within it
Sloping ground holds back about 25% of yield here.
What sugarcane needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | loam or clay loam |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.5 |
| Rain it needs | About 1,500–2,000 mm across the season |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow sugarcane in Kidal
| Planting material | About 28,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 117 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 46 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 263 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 | 150–315 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a sugarcane 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 Sugarcane with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Kidal 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 sugarcane grow well in Kidal?
Kidal rates as favourable for sugarcane.
When should I plant sugarcane in Kidal?
Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kidal, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.