Papaya

Water

Rain falls about 3 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 980 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 860 mm it can use in a normal year, and 800 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 25 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 25 °C / 17 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 25 °C / 17 °C
• Sep 24 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
• Oct 22 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
• Nov 18 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 15 °C / 3 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 13 °C / 1 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 14 °C / 2 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 17 °C / 5 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 20 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• May 23 °C / 13 °C (outside its best range)
• Jun 25 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)

Nights in November can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Soil

Soil for Papaya: 8 out of 10 (good).

• The pH here suits it, though not most crops.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
• Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.

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 88% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 88% 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 ₹2.1 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.