Ragi (Finger Millet)
Sow in July, harvest around November
This season's sowing time (June–August) is over.
Grown on 98,284 acres here. Sold at 4 mandis in your district.
₹10,000–₹15,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹6,000–₹11,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 3 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 3 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 340 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 230 mm it can use in a normal year, and 100 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 18–30 °C on average, and survives 8–35 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jul 28 °C / 21 °C
- Aug 28 °C / 21 °C
- Sep 29 °C / 21 °C
- Oct 30 °C / 21 °C
Soil
Soil for Ragi (Finger Millet): 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of nitrogen, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of boron.
Likes pH 6.0–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 4.4 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025): about ₹2,844 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹3,358 a quintal, the middle of 4 mandis in your district (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹6,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹5,205 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
Prices are usually best in January.
Typical costs are about ₹21,000 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
-
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 88% of local fields of this crop get it.
-
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.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
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 88%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 80%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 2%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 2%