Safflower

Water

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

Needs about 380 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 170 mm it can use in a normal year, and 120 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 30 °C / 21 °C
• Oct 29 °C / 20 °C
• Nov 27 °C / 18 °C
• Dec 27 °C / 16 °C
• Jan 28 °C / 16 °C

Soil

Soil for Safflower: 8 out of 10 (good).

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

Likes pH 6.5–7.5.

Money

Yield: about 3.2 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (your district's own figure looked wrong).

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 ₹6,866 a quintal across mandis in your state.

This week: about ₹5,965 a quintal, the middle of 10 mandis in your state (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.