Cotton
Sow in October, harvest around April
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 41,169 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹22,000–₹33,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹6,000 to a profit of ₹5,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 10 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 10 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 670 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 200 mm it can use in a normal year (130 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 10 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 34 °C / 25 °C
- Nov 31 °C / 24 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 23 °C
- Jan 31 °C / 22 °C
- Feb 33 °C / 23 °C
- Mar 36 °C / 25 °C
Soil
Soil for Cotton: 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: iron.
- 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 phosphorus.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.5 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 ₹3,000 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
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 4.3 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 100% of local fields of this crop get it.
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Short of phosphorus Your soil is likely short of phosphorus.
Add about a quarter more DAP or single super phosphate than the usual dose, at sowing.
About 81% 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 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.
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.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Urea 100%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 81%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 64%
- NPK Mixture 3%