Cotton
Sow in June, harvest around December
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 India.
₹6,000–₹9,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹18,000–₹21,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 6/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain is enough, even in a dry year.
Needs about 520 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 1,000 mm it can use in a normal year, and 820 mm in a dry year.
Heavy rain here can waterlog it. Grow it on raised beds or land that drains well.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–36 °C on average, and survives 15–42 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 27 °C / 20 °C
- Jul 27 °C / 21 °C
- Aug 27 °C / 21 °C
- Sep 27 °C / 20 °C
- Oct 26 °C / 19 °C
- Nov 24 °C / 14 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Cotton: 6 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: salt, sulphur, zinc and 4 more.
- Soil here is often more acidic than it likes.
- Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 1.1 quintals of kapas (raw cotton) an acre, the typical figure in your state (its government crop records list none for your district).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025–January 2026): about ₹7,350 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹8,823 a quintal, the middle of 224 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹18,000 a season at typical costs.
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.
- ₹6,180 2021
- ₹9,050 2022
- ₹7,000 2023
- ₹7,050 2024
- ₹7,130 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 nitrogen Your soil is likely short of nitrogen.
Add about a quarter more urea than the usual dose, in two or three splits. A pulse crop in rotation also adds nitrogen.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of potassium Your soil is likely short of potassium.
Add about a quarter more potash (MOP) than the usual dose.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.