Sweet Orange (Mosambi)

Water

Rain is enough, even in a dry year.

Needs about 900 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 1,290 mm it can use in a normal year, and 930 mm in a dry year.

Heavy rain here can waterlog it. Grow it on raised beds or land that drains well.

Temperature

Grows best at 20–30 °C on average, and survives 13–38 °C.

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

• Jun 30 °C / 18 °C
• Jul 27 °C / 18 °C
• Aug 27 °C / 18 °C
• Sep 26 °C / 17 °C
• Oct 25 °C / 13 °C (outside its best range)
• Nov 20 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 17 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 15 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 19 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 23 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 29 °C / 15 °C
• May 31 °C / 17 °C
• Jun 30 °C / 18 °C

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Nights in December can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Soil

Soil for Sweet Orange (Mosambi): 8 out of 10 (good).

• Soil here is often more alkaline than it likes.
• Most fields here are short of nitrogen.

Likes pH 5.0–6.0.

Money

Yield: about 67 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

A new planting gives its first real harvest after about 4 years. The money here is for plants already bearing.

Mandi price through the year (December 2025–November 2026): about ₹2,850 a quintal across mandis in your state.

This week: about ₹2,525 a quintal, the middle of 6 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹44,000 a year after typical costs.

Prices are usually best in May.

Typical costs are about ₹1.3 lakh an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.