Tobacco

A monsoon crop. Sow in Jun–Jul, harvest in Oct–Nov.

Check it on your land
Season
Kharif
JJASONDJFMAM

Sowing Growing Harvest

85% of its area. Also grown in rabi.
Ready in
120 days
about 4 months
Water
500–520 mm
of water over its season (rain plus irrigation)
Grows best at
15–30 °C
0 °C survives 7–35 °C 40 °C

When to sow and harvest

Kharif 85% of its area
Rabi 14% of its area
Today: kharif harvest
J J A S O N D J F M A M
Sow Growing Harvest
The year starts in June, with the monsoon. Your district can shift a few weeks.

Sowing Growing Harvest

Will it grow on your land?

Water
Season

Pick your place and water to see:

  • Whether Tobacco 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

15–30 °C
0 °C40 °C

Survives 7–35 °C.

Water

500–520 mm over its season

Rain and irrigation together, worked out where most of it grows:

Dharmapuri Viluppuram Thanjavur Kancheepuram Cuddalore

Soil pH

4 acidic7 neutral9 alkaline

Likes slightly acidic soil. Grows from pH 4.5 to 7.5.

Soil

  • No salty soil
  • Ordinary farm soil is fine
How the soil score works

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°); TerraClimate 1991–2020 temperature normals (about 4 km), where each district's villages are.

Fertiliser for one acre

Not covered yet. Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra for the dose.

Watch out for

Not covered yet. Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to watch for.

Mandi price, month by month

Best month
April, ₹6,400 a quintal
Lowest
February, ₹3,700 a quintal
₹3,700
₹6,400
J F M A M J J A S O N D

Rupees a quintal, typical across India's mandis. Average of 2021–2025.

Latest prices at mandis near you

Source: Agmarknet daily prices and arrivals (India Data Portal).

Where it grows in India

Area grown in India
12.1 lakh acres
2024-25
Average yield
8.6 quintals an acre (2.1 tonnes a hectare)
2024-25
Most area
Tiruchirappalli
Tamil Nadu
Best yield
Bareilly
30 quintals an acre

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.

77% of India's tobacco area is in these 10 districts

  1. 1 Tiruchirappalli Tamil Nadu 15% 2.4 lakh acres
  2. 2 Kheda Gujarat 13% 2.0 lakh acres
  3. 3 Anand Gujarat 12% 1.9 lakh acres
  4. 4 Mysuru Karnataka 10% 1.6 lakh acres
  5. 5 Perambalur Tamil Nadu 10% 1.5 lakh acres
  6. 6 Prakasam Andhra Pradesh 5.9% 90,882 acres
  7. 7 West Godavari Andhra Pradesh 2.8% 43,136 acres
  8. 8 Mahesana Gujarat 2.8% 42,899 acres
  9. 9 Cooch Behar West Bengal 2.1% 32,842 acres
  10. 10 Vadodara Gujarat 2.0% 30,853 acres

Tobacco yield

  1. 2.4–3.9 quintals an acre
  2. 4.0–6.2 quintals an acre
  3. 6.5–8.4 quintals an acre
  4. 8.8–12 quintals an acre
  5. 13–30 quintals an acre
No data

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). 1998-99 to 2024-25.

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.

Source: Crop area, production & yield – district-wise (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare); Crop area, production & yield – UPAG (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). 1998-99 to 2024-25.

Across India over the years

Yield across India, quintals an acre

0 2.5 q 5 q 7.5 q 10 q
1998-99 2024-25
Latest 8.6 quintals an acre in 2024-25

Area sown across India, acres

0 50 lakh 1 crore 1.5 crore
1998-99 2024-25
Latest 12.1 lakh acres in 2024-25

Years run July to June. 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). 1998-99 to 2024-25.

Soil and yield

How district soil tests line up with this crop's yields across India.

Tobacco yields tend to be higher in districts with

  • More soil that is neutral strong 73 districts
  • More soil low in organic carbon weak 73 districts
  • More soil low in nitrogen weak 73 districts

Tobacco yields tend to be lower in districts with

  • More soil that is acidic moderate 73 districts
  • More soil high in organic carbon weak 73 districts
  • More soil medium in nitrogen weak 73 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).