Divisi
When to plant Sweet potato in Kasaï-Central
These figures also cover Kazumba, where the engine returns the same answer.
République démocratique du Congo
Known here as kiazi kitamu · viazi vitamu · patate douce
Sweet potato is a trailing vine you grow from vine cuttings (slips), not from seed and not by planting the root.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 12 Oct 2026 – 5 Nov 2026 opens in 2 weeks | 21 May 2027 – 30 May 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 20.7 t/ha | about 29.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 10 Jan 2027 to 4 Apr 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 70–148 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 12 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Kasaï-Central yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 5 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kasaï-Central
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For sweet potato in Kasaï-Central, 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 2026/27 season in Kasaï-Central
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | August 2026 to May 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,272 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 1,246 mm in the driest of 6 districts to about 1,400 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — January, February, October, November and December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.1 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 65% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 281 growing days · about 1,300 mm · August to May |
|---|---|
| 24% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 333 growing days · about 1,350 mm · August to June |
| 10% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 267 growing days · about 1,340 mm · September to May |
last updated 16 September 2026 · from all 6 areas within it
What sweet potato needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy, sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.0 and 6.5 |
| Rain it needs | About 750–1,000 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 100 cm between rows, 30 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium and nitrogen |
What it takes to grow sweet potato in Kasaï-Central
| Planting material | About 33,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 83 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 31 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 166 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 | 70–148 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a sweet potato 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 Sweet potato with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Kasaï-Central 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.
Sweet potato 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 sweet potato grow well in Kasaï-Central?
Kasaï-Central rates as favourable for sweet potato.
When should I plant sweet potato in Kasaï-Central?
Typically 12 Oct 2026 to 5 Nov 2026, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kasaï-Central, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
