Cotton
Sow in July, harvest around January
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 12 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹26,000–₹40,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹1,000 to a profit of ₹12,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain is enough in a normal year. Keep one irrigation ready for a dry year.
Needs about 630 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 730 mm it can use in a normal year, and 500 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):
- Jul 35 °C / 26 °C
- Aug 34 °C / 25 °C
- Sep 34 °C / 25 °C
- Oct 32 °C / 24 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 23 °C
- Dec 29 °C / 22 °C
Soil
Soil for Cotton: 8 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: organic carbon, sulphur and boron.
- The pH here suits it.
- 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 4.4 quintals of kapas (raw cotton) an acre, the typical figure in your state (your district's own figure looked wrong).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹7,445 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 ₹12,000 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 5.0 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.
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.