Cocoa
Holds the land all year
No figures for your district: its government crop records list no area or yield for this crop.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Needs care: Risky: 9 irrigations short
- Doesn't suit: Frost in january kills it
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 9 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 1,230 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 800 mm it can use in a normal year, and 660 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 21–32 °C on average, and survives 10–38 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 29 °C / 18 °C
- Jul 26 °C / 18 °C
- Aug 25 °C / 17 °C
- Sep 25 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
- Oct 23 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
- Nov 19 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 15 °C / 4 °C (outside its best range)
- Jan 11 °C / 2 °C (outside its best range)
- Feb 14 °C / 5 °C (outside its best range)
- Mar 19 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
- Apr 24 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
- May 28 °C / 16 °C
- Jun 29 °C / 18 °C
Nights in December can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.
Soil
Soil for Cocoa: 9 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: sulphur, zinc, iron and 3 more.
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
Likes pH 5.0–6.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 1.2 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).
A new planting gives its first real harvest after about 3 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.
No mandi or support price for this crop yet.