Maize
Sow in June, harvest around September
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 13 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹24,000–₹36,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹2,000–₹14,000 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 400 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 470 mm it can use in a normal year, and 300 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 18–33 °C on average, and survives 10–47 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 40 °C / 29 °C (outside its best range)
- Jul 34 °C / 27 °C
- Aug 33 °C / 26 °C
- Sep 33 °C / 25 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Maize: 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: sulphur.
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of nitrogen, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
Likes pH 5.0–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 14 quintals an acre here (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (September–October 2026): about ₹2,164 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹2,239 a quintal, the middle of 22 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹9,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹2,410 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹1,600 2021
- ₹1,980 2022
- ₹2,110 2023
- ₹2,230 2024
- ₹2,360 2025
Prices are usually best in December.
Typical costs are about ₹22,000 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 13 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
-
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 85% 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.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Urea 85%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 51%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 3%
- NPK Mixture 3%