Ragi (Finger Millet)
Sow in June, harvest around October
This season's sowing time (June–August) is over.
Grown on 63 acres here. Sold at 2 mandis in your district.
₹9,000–₹14,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹7,000–₹12,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 2 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 320 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 240 mm it can use in a normal year, and 120 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):
- Jun 29 °C / 21 °C
- Jul 27 °C / 21 °C
- Aug 27 °C / 21 °C
- Sep 28 °C / 20 °C
Soil
Soil for Ragi (Finger Millet): 9 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 6.0–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 5.9 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (your district's own figure looked wrong).
On rain alone it gets about 75% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 75% of this yield.
Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹2,630 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹3,408 a quintal, the middle of 34 mandis in your state (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
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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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.