Maize
Sow in October, harvest around January
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 49,056 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹17,000–₹25,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹5,000 to a profit of ₹3,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 4 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
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 0 mm it can use in a normal year (0 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 200 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 34 °C / 21 °C
- Nov 33 °C / 16 °C
- Dec 31 °C / 13 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 12 °C
Soil
Soil for Maize: 8 out of 10 (good).
- 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 boron.
Likes pH 5.0–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 11 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹1,969 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹2,500 a quintal, the middle of 7 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹5,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹2,410 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹1,710 2021
- ₹2,150 2022
- ₹2,210 2023
- ₹2,360 2024
- ₹2,230 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 12 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 100% of local fields of this crop get it.
-
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 100%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 48%
- Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate / Monohydrate 9%