Potato
Sow in October, harvest around January
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 60 acres here. Sold at 2 mandis in your district.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Doesn't suit: Too dry without irrigation
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 400 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 40 mm it can use in a normal year (20 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 10 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 15–25 °C on average, and survives 7–30 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 30 °C / 20 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 18 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 16 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 16 °C
Soil
Soil for Potato: 9 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 5.0–6.2.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 32 quintals an acre here (district figures).
Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹1,300 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹1,900 a quintal, the middle of 19 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov).
- ₹1,300 2021
- ₹1,850 2022
- ₹1,430 2023
- ₹2,440 2024
- ₹1,700 2025
Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.
Prices are usually best in July.
Typical costs are about ₹56,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 78 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
-
Short of zinc Your soil is likely short of zinc.
Mix 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing. One dose lasts two or three seasons.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
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):
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 100%
- Urea 100%