Onion
Sow in July, harvest around November
This season's sowing time (July–August) is over.
No figures for this season in your district. Sold at 7 mandis in your district.
₹86,000–₹1.3 lakh
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹15,000 to a profit of ₹28,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Needs care: Warm in July
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain is enough, even in a dry year.
Needs about 460 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 680 mm it can use in a normal year, and 580 mm in a dry year.
Heavy rain here can waterlog it. Grow it on raised beds or land that drains well.
Temperature
Grows best at 12–25 °C on average, and survives 4–33 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jul 32 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 32 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Sep 32 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Oct 31 °C / 23 °C (outside its best range)
- Nov 30 °C / 18 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Onion: 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 sulphur, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
Likes pH 6.0–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 38 quintals an acre here in its other seasons (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025): about ₹2,800 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹4,900 a quintal, the middle of 2 mandis in your district (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹87,000 a season after typical costs.
- ₹3,250 2021
- ₹2,000 2022
- ₹2,250 2023
- ₹3,650 2024
- ₹2,200 2025
Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.
Prices are usually best in November.
Typical costs are about ₹1.0 lakh an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
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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 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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
-
Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.