Maize
Sow in October, harvest around January
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 46,555 acres here. Sold at 9 mandis in your district.
₹16,000–₹24,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹6,000 to a profit of ₹2,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 4 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 4 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 350 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 20 mm it can use in a normal year (10 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 170 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 18–33 °C on average, and survives 10–47 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 31 °C / 19 °C
- Nov 31 °C / 16 °C
- Dec 29 °C / 13 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 12 °C
Soil
Soil for Maize: 7 out of 10 (okay).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of nitrogen, which it needs a lot.
- Many fields here are short of zinc, 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 in this season (district figures).
On rain alone it gets about 54% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 54% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹2,600 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹2,760 a quintal, the middle of 67 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹1,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹2,410 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹1,920 2021
- ₹2,220 2022
- ₹2,160 2023
- ₹2,600 2024
- ₹2,500 2025
Prices are usually best in September.
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 15 quintals 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 45% 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.
About 13% of local fields of this crop get it.
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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.
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Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
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 45%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 13%
- Nitro Phosphate Potash 9%
- Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate / Monohydrate 8%