Cotton
Sow in October, harvest around April
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 2,848 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
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 680 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 40 mm it can use in a normal year, and 20 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):
- Oct 30 °C / 22 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 20 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 18 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 18 °C
- Feb 33 °C / 19 °C
- Mar 36 °C / 22 °C
Soil
Soil for Cotton: 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
- Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 1.5 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 (April–May 2026): about ₹7,754 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹8,905 a quintal, the middle of 2 mandis in your district (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.
- ₹6,170 2021
- ₹9,480 2022
- ₹7,080 2023
- ₹7,250 2024
- ₹7,170 2025
Prices are usually best in September.
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
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 4.6 quintals of kapas (raw cotton) an acre. That's a realistic target.
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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.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil 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):
- Urea 98%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 91%
- Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate / Monohydrate 63%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 32%