Varagu (Kodo Millet)

Water

Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.

Needs about 430 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 170 mm it can use in a normal year, and 90 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

Grows best at 25–27 °C on average, and survives 5–33 °C.

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

• Jun 40 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 37 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 35 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 34 °C / 24 °C (outside its best range)

Days in June get hotter than it likes. Time sowing so it flowers before then.

Soil

Soil for Varagu (Kodo Millet): 7 out of 10 (okay).

Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.

• Soil here is often too alkaline for it.
• Most fields here are short of manganese.

Likes pH 4.8–6.0.

Money

No yield records for this crop yet.

Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.

Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹2,358 a quintal across India's mandis.

This week: about ₹2,266 a quintal, the middle of 13 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov).

Prices are usually best in August.