Rice
Sow in November, harvest around March
Sowing time is now.
Grown on 97 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Needs care: Risky: 6 irrigations short
- Doesn't suit: Too cold in december
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 6 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 790 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 290 mm it can use in a normal year (260 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 21 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 18 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
- Jan 16 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
- Feb 19 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
- Mar 22 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
Nights in January can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.
Soil
Soil for Rice: 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 copper.
Likes pH 5.5–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 11 quintals of paddy an acre here (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 (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).
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
-
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.
-
Short of copper Your soil is likely short of copper.
Mix 2 kg of copper sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
-
Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.