Ragi (Finger Millet)
Sow in October, harvest around February
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 16,506 acres here. Sold at 4 mandis in your district.
₹20,000–₹30,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹977 to a profit of ₹9,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 4 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 4 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 310 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 70 mm it can use in a normal year (50 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 50 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 18–30 °C on average, and survives 8–35 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 29 °C / 20 °C
- Nov 28 °C / 19 °C
- Dec 28 °C / 17 °C
- Jan 29 °C / 17 °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 boron.
Likes pH 6.0–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 7.0 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹3,600 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹3,783 a quintal, the middle of 2 mandis in your district (latest 12 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹5,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹5,205 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹2,560 2021
- ₹2,440 2022
- ₹2,800 2023
- ₹3,100 2024
Prices are usually best in March.
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 6.1 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
-
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 98% 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 98%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 72%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 43%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 10%