Cotton
Sow in October, harvest around April
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 5,257 acres here. Sold at 7 mandis in your district.
₹11,000–₹17,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹11,000–₹16,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 13 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 6/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 13 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 700 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 20 mm it can use in a normal year (10 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 30 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–36 °C on average, and survives 15–42 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 32 °C / 22 °C
- Nov 31 °C / 20 °C
- Dec 31 °C / 18 °C
- Jan 31 °C / 18 °C
- Feb 34 °C / 19 °C
- Mar 36 °C / 22 °C
Soil
Soil for Cotton: 6 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: phosphorus and salt.
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 1.6 quintals of kapas (raw cotton) an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (April–May 2026): about ₹8,620 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹9,175 a quintal, the middle of 4 mandis in your district (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹13,000 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.
- ₹6,000 2021
- ₹9,550 2022
- ₹7,300 2023
- ₹7,250 2024
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 5.8 quintals of kapas (raw cotton) an acre. That's a realistic target.
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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.
About 95% of local fields of this crop get it.
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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.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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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.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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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 95%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 65%
- Calcium Ammonium Nitrate 14%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 2%