Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Doesn't suit: Too dry without irrigation
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 1,500 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 840 mm it can use in a normal year, and 770 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 16–33 °C on average, and survives 7–39 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 30 °C / 24 °C
- Jul 28 °C / 23 °C
- Aug 29 °C / 24 °C
- Sep 30 °C / 24 °C
- Oct 31 °C / 24 °C
- Nov 32 °C / 23 °C
- Dec 32 °C / 22 °C
- Jan 32 °C / 22 °C
- Feb 33 °C / 23 °C
- Mar 34 °C / 25 °C
- Apr 34 °C / 26 °C
- May 33 °C / 26 °C
- Jun 30 °C / 24 °C
Soil
Soil for Arecanut: 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: nitrogen.
- Soil here is often too alkaline for it.
- Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of sulphur.
Likes pH 5.5–6.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.6 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
A new planting gives its first real harvest after about 6 years. The money here is for plants already bearing.
Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.
Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹36,500 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹37,000 a quintal, the middle of 3 mandis in your district (latest 13 Nov).
- ₹35,800 2021
- ₹37,500 2022
- ₹36,500 2023
- ₹32,750 2024
- ₹34,380 2025
Prices are usually best in February.
Typical costs are about ₹5.9 lakh an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 3.3 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- NPK Mixture 2%
- Urea 1%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 1%
- Ammonium Phosphate Sulphate / Nitrogen Phosphate 0%