Safflower
Sow in September, harvest around January
This season's sowing time (September–October) is over.
Grown on 11,213 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹13,000–₹19,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹2,000 to a profit of ₹4,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 6 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 10/10
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 420 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 120 mm it can use in a normal year, and 60 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 29 °C / 21 °C
- Oct 30 °C / 20 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 18 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 16 °C
- Jan 31 °C / 17 °C
Soil
Soil for Safflower: 10 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: salt.
- The pH here suits it.
Likes pH 6.5–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.3 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹6,866 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹4,596 a quintal, the middle of 2 mandis in your district (latest 12 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹4,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹7,215 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹4,680 2021
- ₹4,960 2022
- ₹4,030 2023
- ₹4,320 2024
- ₹7,080 2025
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.
How to make it work
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 94%
- Urea 29%