Tapioca (Cassava)
Planted once, harvested year after year.
When to sow and harvest
Planted once at the start of the monsoon. It stays for years and gives a harvest every year.
Will it grow on your land?
Pick your place and water to see:
- Whether Tapioca (Cassava) suits your land Good fit, possible or won't work, with the reasons.
- What it could earn an acre From yields near you and mandi prices.
- Water and fertiliser it needs Irrigations for your water, and bags for one acre.
What it needs
Temperature
Survives 10–35 °C. Frost hurts it.
Water
Rain and irrigation together, worked out where most of it grows:
Soil pH
Likes neutral soil. Grows from pH 4 to 9.
Soil
- No salty soil
- Ordinary farm soil is fine
- N Needs plenty of nitrogen and potassium
Source: FAO ECOCROP crop requirements (via OpenCLIM/ecocrop); FAO-56 crop coefficients (Allen et al. 1998); IMD gridded daily rainfall (0.25°); IMD gridded daily max/min temperature (1°).
Fertiliser for one acre
Watch out for
Mandi price, month by month
Rupees a quintal, typical across India's mandis.
Source: Agmarknet daily prices and arrivals (India Data Portal).
Where it grows in India
- Area grown in India
- 1,60,255 ha
- 2022-23
- Average yield
- 36.9 t/ha
- 2022-23
- Most area
- Namakkal
- Tamil Nadu
- Best yield
- Ernakulam
- 50.8 t/ha
States that grow it
Each state's share of India's production, in its latest year with figures (2025-26). Tap a state to open it.
Source: Horticulture area & production statistics (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare).
Where it grows most
The districts with the most area in recent years. The map colours every district growing it on at least 100 ha by yield; the numbers mark these districts.
- 1 Namakkal Tamil Nadu 11% 18,491 ha
- 2 Kallakurichi Tamil Nadu 8.5% 14,759 ha
- 3 Thiruvananthapuram Kerala 7.3% 12,708 ha
- 4 Kollam Kerala 7.2% 12,484 ha
- 5 Dharmapuri Tamil Nadu 7.0% 12,152 ha
- 6 Salem Tamil Nadu 6.4% 11,096 ha
- 7 Erode Tamil Nadu 4.7% 8,243 ha
- 8 Kottayam Kerala 3.6% 6,275 ha
- 9 Viluppuram Tamil Nadu 3.4% 5,861 ha
- 10 Cuddalore Tamil Nadu 3.2% 5,577 ha
Tapioca (Cassava) yield
- 5.7–10.3 t/ha
- 10.8–18.9 t/ha
- 19.0–35.7 t/ha
- 35.7–40.0 t/ha
- 41.0–50.8 t/ha
1 Numbers match the list: the districts with the most area.
Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 2013-14 to 2022-23.
Where yields are highest
Districts growing it on at least 100 ha, against the average across India. The line runs from India's average to each district.
- Ernakulam Kerala 50.8 t/ha 1.4× India
- Thrissur Kerala 50.4 t/ha 1.4× India
- Kottayam Kerala 49.2 t/ha 1.4× India
- Idukki Kerala 48.9 t/ha 1.4× India
- Pathanamthitta Kerala 48.7 t/ha 1.3× India
- Palakkad Kerala 45.7 t/ha 1.3× India
- Tiruppur Tamil Nadu 45.6 t/ha 1.3× India
- Tiruchirappalli Tamil Nadu 44.0 t/ha 1.2× India
- Tiruvannamalai Tamil Nadu 43.9 t/ha 1.2× India
- Kallakurichi Tamil Nadu 43.7 t/ha 1.2× India
Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 2013-14 to 2022-23.
Across India over the years
Yield (t/ha)
Area (ha)
Only years in which most of the usual districts reported are shown.
Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 2013-14 to 2022-23.
Soil and yield
How district soil tests line up with this crop's yields across India.
Tapioca (Cassava) yields tend to be higher in districts with
- More soil low in nitrogen strong 71 districts
- More soil high in potassium moderate 71 districts
Tapioca (Cassava) yields tend to be lower in districts with
- More soil medium in nitrogen strong 71 districts
- More soil high in nitrogen strong 71 districts
- More soil short of copper strong 71 districts
- More soil that is acidic moderate 71 districts
A pattern is not proof that soil causes the difference.
Source: Soil Health Card – soil nutrient analysis (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare).