Divisi
When to plant Sugarcane in Tarka
These figures also cover Takum, where the engine returns the same answer.
Benue, Nigeria
Sugarcane is a tall, thick, sweet grass grown for the sugar it stores in its stalks.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 17 Mar 2027 – 6 Apr 2027 opens in 24 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 48.4 t/ha | about 111.2 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 meets its needs | 58% | |
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 17 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Tarka 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 6 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Tarka
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For sugarcane in Tarka, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 2026 season in Tarka
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | April 2026 to November 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,308 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — September looks 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 one full main crop, 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 84% of this area. |
| 84% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 241 growing days · about 1,330 mm · April to November |
|---|---|
| 16% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 240 growing days · about 1,300 mm · April to November |
last updated 16 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 40% 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 Tarka
| Planting material | About 28,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 68 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 27 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 152 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 Tarka 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.
Sugarcane 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 sugarcane grow well in Tarka?
Tarka rates as favourable for sugarcane.
When should I plant sugarcane in Tarka?
Typically 17 Mar 2027 to 6 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Tarka, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
