Safflower
Sow in September, harvest around January
This season's sowing time (September–October) is over.
Grown on 30 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Doesn't suit: Too dry without irrigation
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 400 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 150 mm it can use in a normal year, and 70 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 31 °C / 22 °C
- Oct 30 °C / 21 °C
- Nov 29 °C / 19 °C
- Dec 29 °C / 17 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 17 °C
Soil
Soil for Safflower: 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of boron, 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.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.2 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 ₹6,200 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.
- ₹4,640 2021
- ₹4,960 2022
- ₹4,000 2023
- ₹4,220 2024
- ₹6,520 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
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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.