Papaya

Water

Rain falls about 4 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 1,080 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 880 mm it can use in a normal year, and 850 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 21–30 °C on average, and survives 12–44 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Jun 29 °C / 22 °C
• Jul 29 °C / 22 °C
• Aug 29 °C / 22 °C
• Sep 28 °C / 21 °C
• Oct 27 °C / 18 °C
• Nov 25 °C / 15 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 21 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 20 °C / 10 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 22 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 25 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 27 °C / 19 °C
• May 28 °C / 20 °C
• Jun 29 °C / 22 °C

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Papaya: 9 out of 10 (good).

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
• Most fields here are short of manganese.

Likes pH 5.5–7.0.

Money

Yield: about 156 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

On rain alone it gets about 82% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 82% of this yield.

Mandi price through the year (December 2025–November 2026): about ₹2,650 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹3,250 a quintal, the middle of 135 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹1.8 lakh a year after typical costs.

Prices are usually best in September.

Typical costs are about ₹2.3 lakh an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.