Rice
Sow in November, harvest around March
Sowing time is now.
Grown on 19,045 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹24,000–₹36,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹5,000 to a profit of ₹7,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 10 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 10 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 900 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 210 mm it can use in a normal year (120 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 200 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 20–30 °C on average, and survives 15–36 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Nov 28 °C / 17 °C
- Dec 25 °C / 14 °C (outside its best range)
- Jan 24 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
- Feb 27 °C / 14 °C
- Mar 31 °C / 18 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Rice: 8 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: sulphur.
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of phosphorus.
- Most fields here are short of boron.
Likes pH 5.5–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 29 quintals of paddy an acre here in this season (district figures).
On rain alone it gets about 45% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 45% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (March–April 2026): about ₹2,288 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹2,461 a quintal, the middle of 687 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹3,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹2,441 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹1,750 2021
- ₹1,820 2022
- ₹2,040 2023
- ₹2,200 2024
- ₹2,300 2025
Prices are usually best in October.
Typical costs are about ₹29,000 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 18 quintals of paddy an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of phosphorus Your soil is likely short of phosphorus.
Add about a quarter more DAP or single super phosphate than the usual dose, at sowing.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
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.
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):
- NPK Mixture 1%
- Ammonium Phosphate Sulphate / Nitrogen Phosphate 0%