Maize
Sow in October, harvest around January
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 95,653 acres here. Sold at 8 mandis in your district.
₹42,000–₹63,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹20,000–₹41,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 3 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 3 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 340 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 30 mm it can use in a normal year (20 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 180 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 32 °C / 23 °C
- Nov 31 °C / 19 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 16 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 16 °C
Soil
Soil for Maize: 8 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: zinc, iron, copper and 2 more.
- 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 28 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹1,857 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹2,982 a quintal, the middle of 3 mandis in your district (latest 12 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹63,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹2,410 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹2,220 2022
- ₹2,090 2023
- ₹2,190 2024
- ₹2,200 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
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 29 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 75% 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 75%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 65%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 61%
- Ammonium Phosphate Sulphate / Nitrogen Phosphate 5%