Rice
Sow in November, harvest around March
Sowing time is now.
Grown on 1.2 lakh acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Needs care: Risky: 19 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 19 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 1,080 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 90 mm it can use in a normal year (50 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 60 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
About 5% of Rice in Mahabubnagar, the nearest district with figures, is grown on rain alone. Your district has no figure of its own.
Temperature
Grows best at 20–30 °C on average, and survives 15–36 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Nov 31 °C / 19 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 17 °C
- Jan 31 °C / 18 °C
- Feb 34 °C / 19 °C
- Mar 37 °C / 23 °C
Soil
Soil for Rice: 7 out of 10 (okay).
- 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 organic carbon.
Likes pH 5.5–7.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 20 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 (March–April 2026): about ₹2,384 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹2,300 a quintal, the middle of 3 mandis in your district (latest 12 Nov).
Minimum support price: ₹2,441 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹1,890 2021
- ₹1,960 2022
- ₹2,060 2023
- ₹2,200 2024
- ₹2,300 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
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 19 quintals of paddy an acre. That's a realistic target.
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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 sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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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.
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.
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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.