Ragi (Finger Millet)
Sow in October, harvest around February
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 162 acres here. Sold at 5 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
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 330 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 100 mm it can use in a normal year, and 60 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):
- Oct 33 °C / 24 °C
- Nov 31 °C / 22 °C
- Dec 31 °C / 21 °C
- Jan 32 °C / 21 °C
Soil
Soil for Ragi (Finger Millet): 7 out of 10 (okay).
- Soil here is often more alkaline than it likes.
- 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 organic carbon.
Likes pH 6.0–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 6.1 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (your district's own figure looked wrong).
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 (February–March 2026): about ₹3,556 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹3,555 a quintal, the middle of 3 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov).
Minimum support price: ₹5,205 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹3,790 2021
- ₹3,700 2022
- ₹2,800 2023
- ₹3,100 2024
- ₹3,540 2025
Prices are usually best in June.
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 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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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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.
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.