Varagu (Kodo Millet)
Sow in July, harvest around November
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
No figures for your district: its government crop records list no area or yield for this crop. Priced from mandis across India.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Doesn't suit: Too dry without irrigation
- Needs care: Warm in July
- Needs care: Soil 6/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 400 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 90 mm it can use in a normal year, and 40 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):
- Jul 34 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 35 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Sep 35 °C / 25 °C (outside its best range)
- Oct 34 °C / 25 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Varagu (Kodo Millet): 6 out of 10 (okay).
- Soil here is often too alkaline for it.
- Many fields here are short of nitrogen, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of sulphur.
Likes pH 4.8–6.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
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 last season's harvest (December 2025): about ₹2,025 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹2,266 a quintal, the middle of 13 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov).
- ₹2,000 2021
- ₹2,240 2022
- ₹2,600 2023
- ₹3,000 2024
- ₹2,290 2025
Prices are usually best in August.
How to make it work
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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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.