Cotton
Sow in October, harvest around April
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 5,364 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹48,000–₹72,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹21,000–₹45,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 12 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 12 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 710 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 150 mm it can use in a normal year, and 70 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 32 °C / 23 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 22 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 20 °C
- Jan 32 °C / 20 °C
- Feb 34 °C / 21 °C
- Mar 37 °C / 23 °C
Soil
Soil for Cotton: 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of sulphur.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 7.7 quintals of kapas (raw cotton) an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (April–May 2026): about ₹7,843 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹8,810 a quintal, the middle of 205 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹40,000 a season after 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
-
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.
-
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.
-
Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
About 29% of local fields of this crop get it.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Urea 95%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 62%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 29%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 23%