Safflower

Water

Rain falls about 4 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 400 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 210 mm it can use in a normal year, and 110 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

Grows best at 20–32 °C on average, and survives 5–45 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Sep 33 °C / 25 °C
• Oct 33 °C / 24 °C
• Nov 31 °C / 22 °C
• Dec 30 °C / 20 °C
• Jan 32 °C / 20 °C

Soil

Soil for Safflower: 7 out of 10 (okay).

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
• Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of nitrogen.

Likes pH 6.5–7.5.

Money

Yield: about 2.2 quintals 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 (January–February 2026): about ₹6,200 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹6,080 a quintal, the middle of 12 mandis across India (latest 12 Nov).

Minimum support price: ₹7,215 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.

Prices are usually best in December.

Typical costs are about ₹15,000 an acre (seed, fertiliser, labour and hired machines, from the government's cost survey). They are spent whatever the harvest.