Cotton
Sow in June, harvest around December
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 21,634 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹40,000–₹60,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹12,000–₹32,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
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 650 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 610 mm it can use in a normal year, and 400 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):
- Jun 37 °C / 27 °C
- Jul 31 °C / 24 °C
- Aug 31 °C / 24 °C
- Sep 31 °C / 24 °C
- Oct 32 °C / 22 °C
- Nov 31 °C / 18 °C
Soil
Soil for Cotton: 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: zinc, iron and boron.
- Soil here is often more alkaline than it likes.
- Many fields here are short of potassium, 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 6.6 quintals of kapas (raw cotton) an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025–January 2026): about ₹7,622 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹8,700 a quintal, the middle of 35 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹29,000 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.
- ₹9,000 2022
- ₹7,000 2023
- ₹6,980 2024
- ₹7,170 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 6.5 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 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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of manganese Your soil is likely short of manganese.
Spray manganese sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, on the young crop.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.