Rice
Sow in July, harvest around November
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 50,976 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Needs care: Risky: 16 irrigations short
- Needs care: Frost risk in November
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 16 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 1,000 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 240 mm it can use in a normal year, and 170 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 20–30 °C on average, and survives 15–36 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jul 29 °C / 18 °C
- Aug 29 °C / 18 °C
- Sep 27 °C / 14 °C
- Oct 23 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
- Nov 17 °C / 3 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Nights in November can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.
Soil
Soil for Rice: 9 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of nitrogen, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of boron.
Likes pH 5.5–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 14 quintals of paddy an acre here in this season (district figures).
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 (December 2025): about ₹2,369 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹2,461 a quintal, the middle of 687 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov).
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.
-
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 88%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 76%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 75%
- Calcium Ammonium Nitrate 34%