Ragi (Finger Millet)
Sow in July, harvest around November
This season's sowing time (June–August) is over.
Grown on 113 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹11,000–₹17,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹4,000–₹10,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
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 340 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):
- Jul 29 °C / 22 °C
- Aug 29 °C / 22 °C
- Sep 30 °C / 22 °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.
- Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of sulphur.
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 71% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 71% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025): about ₹3,400 a quintal across mandis in your state.
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 ₹7,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹5,205 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹2,220 2021
- ₹1,990 2022
- ₹2,610 2023
- ₹3,160 2024
- ₹3,350 2025
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
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 4.9 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
-
Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
About 36% of local fields of this crop get it.
-
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.
About 36% of local fields of this crop get it.
-
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 100%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 58%
- Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate / Monohydrate 36%