Safflower

Water

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

Needs about 600 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 390 mm it can use in a normal year, and 320 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 27 °C / 14 °C
• Oct 23 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Nov 16 °C / 3 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 10 °C / -1 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 7 °C / -3 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 9 °C / -1 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 15 °C / 3 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 20 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• May 24 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
• Jun 28 °C / 16 °C

Soil

Soil for Safflower: 9 out of 10 (good).

• 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 3.1 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

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 (July–August 2026): about ₹5,175 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.