Tapioca (Cassava)

Water

Rain is enough, even in a dry year.

Needs about 870 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 2,320 mm it can use in a normal year, and 2,010 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 20–29 °C on average, and survives 10–35 °C.

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

• Jun 32 °C / 25 °C
• Jul 32 °C / 26 °C
• Aug 33 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 32 °C / 25 °C
• Oct 32 °C / 23 °C
• Nov 29 °C / 18 °C
• Dec 26 °C / 14 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 24 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 27 °C / 14 °C
• Mar 30 °C / 18 °C
• Apr 32 °C / 21 °C
• May 32 °C / 23 °C
• Jun 32 °C / 25 °C

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Tapioca (Cassava): 9 out of 10 (good).

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of manganese.
• Most fields here are short of boron.

Likes pH 5.5–8.0.

Money

Yield: about 47 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).

Mandi price through the year (December 2025–November 2026): about ₹3,000 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹3,500 a quintal, the middle of 71 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹81,000 a year at typical costs.

Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.

Prices are usually best in September.

Typical costs are about ₹2.4 lakh an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.