Cotton
Sow in May, harvest around November
This season's sowing time (April–May) is over.
Grown on 1,196 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
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 900 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 100 mm it can use in a normal year, and 40 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–36 °C on average, and survives 15–42 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- May 43 °C / 27 °C
- Jun 42 °C / 28 °C
- Jul 39 °C / 28 °C
- Aug 36 °C / 26 °C
- Sep 38 °C / 25 °C
- Oct 37 °C / 21 °C
Soil
Soil for Cotton: 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: nitrogen, sulphur and boron.
- Soil here is often more alkaline than it likes.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 6.1 quintals of kapas (raw cotton) an acre here in this season (district figures).
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 last season's harvest (December 2025): about ₹6,991 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹8,736 a quintal, the middle of 29 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov).
Minimum support price: ₹8,267 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
That is the price for medium staple kapas (raw cotton). Long staple kapas has ₹8,667 a quintal.
- ₹6,580 2021
- ₹9,150 2022
- ₹7,100 2023
- ₹6,610 2024
- ₹7,160 2025
Prices are usually best in October.
Typical costs are about ₹28,000 an acre (seed, fertiliser, labour and hired machines, from the government's cost survey). They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
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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.
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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.
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Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.