Turmeric

Water

Rain is enough, even in a dry year.

Needs about 670 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 1,280 mm it can use in a normal year, and 790 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 20–28 °C on average, and survives 18–32 °C.

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

• Jun 32 °C / 21 °C
• Jul 29 °C / 21 °C
• Aug 28 °C / 21 °C
• Sep 28 °C / 19 °C
• Oct 26 °C / 15 °C
• Nov 21 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 18 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 17 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Soil

Soil for Turmeric: 8 out of 10 (good).

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

Likes pH 6.0–7.0.

Money

Yield: about 19 quintals an acre here (district figures).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹12,663 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹20,950 a quintal, the middle of 22 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹2.6 lakh a season after 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 November.

Typical costs are about ₹1.4 lakh an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.