Divisi
When to plant Tobacco in Chemba
Sofala, Moçambique
Known here as tabaco
Tobacco is a tall, broad-leaved plant in the same family as tomato and potato, grown not for food but for its leaves, which are dried and cured, then sold by weight and grade.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 19 Dec 2026 – 28 Jan 2027 opens in 11 weeks | 27 Dec 2026 – 9 Aug 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 3.0 t/ha | about 3.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 19 Mar 2027 to 28 May 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–120 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 120–242 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 29 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Chemba 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 28 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Chemba
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For tobacco in Chemba, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 Chemba
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 747 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February and December look 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 +1.6 °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 short crop, and only if timed to it, 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 80% of this area. |
| 80% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 158 growing days · about 740 mm · November to April |
|---|---|
| 20% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 198 growing days · about 820 mm · November to May |
last updated 17 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
What tobacco needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 120 cm between rows, 55 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen and potassium |
What it takes to grow tobacco in Chemba
| Planting material | About 16,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 111 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 33 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 180 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 | 120–242 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a tobacco 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 Tobacco with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Chemba 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.
Where to sell Tobacco nearby
Tobacco 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 tobacco grow well in Chemba?
Chemba rates as favourable for tobacco.
When should I plant tobacco in Chemba?
Typically 19 Dec 2026 to 28 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Chemba, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
