Turmeric
Sow in May, harvest around January
This season's sowing time (May–June) is over.
Grown on 454 acres here. Sold at 2 mandis in your district.
₹2.2 lakh–₹3.3 lakh
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹83,000–₹1.9 lakh an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain is enough, even in a dry year.
Needs about 790 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 1,130 mm it can use in a normal year, and 920 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):
- May 29 °C / 20 °C
- Jun 27 °C / 20 °C
- Jul 26 °C / 19 °C
- Aug 26 °C / 19 °C
- Sep 26 °C / 19 °C
- Oct 26 °C / 19 °C
- Nov 26 °C / 18 °C
- Dec 26 °C / 17 °C
Soil
Soil for Turmeric: 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: organic carbon and pH.
- 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. We have no pH figures for this place.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 16 quintals an acre here (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹17,600 a quintal at mandis in your district.
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 ₹1.9 lakh a season after typical costs.
Prices are usually best in October.
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.
How to make it work
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 12 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of nitrogen Your soil is likely short of nitrogen.
Add about a quarter more urea than the usual dose, in two or three splits. A pulse crop in rotation also adds nitrogen.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Nitro Phosphate 2%
- NPK Mixture 1%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 1%
- Urea 1%