Bitter Gourd
Sow in June, harvest around October
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
No figures for your district: its government crop records list no area or yield for this crop. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹24,000–₹37,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹3,000 to a profit of ₹10,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 3 irrigations short
- Needs care: Warm in June
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 3 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 480 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 350 mm it can use in a normal year, and 220 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–30 °C on average, and survives 15–38 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 41 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)
- Jul 35 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 33 °C / 25 °C
- Sep 35 °C / 24 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Bitter Gourd: 8 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
Likes pH 6.0–6.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 17 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (its government crop records list none for your district).
On rain alone it gets about 73% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 73% of this yield.
Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹2,525 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹2,750 a quintal, the middle of 7 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹6,000 a season after typical costs.
- ₹2,000 2021
- ₹2,440 2022
- ₹2,380 2023
- ₹2,730 2024
- ₹2,610 2025
Prices are usually best in February.
Typical costs are about ₹27,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
-
Short of organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
-
Short of zinc Your soil is likely short of zinc.
Mix 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing. One dose lasts two or three seasons.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.