Cotton
Sow in June, harvest around December
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.
₹29,000–₹44,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹2,000–₹17,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain is enough in a normal year. Keep one irrigation ready for a dry year.
Needs about 530 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 660 mm it can use in a normal year, and 430 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–36 °C on average, and survives 15–42 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 27 °C / 20 °C
- Jul 27 °C / 21 °C
- Aug 27 °C / 20 °C
- Sep 27 °C / 20 °C
- Oct 26 °C / 18 °C (outside its best range)
- Nov 23 °C / 13 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Cotton: 8 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: organic carbon.
- Soil here is often more acidic than it likes.
- It copes with the salt here.
- Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 5.0 quintals of kapas (raw cotton) an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025–January 2026): about ₹7,350 a quintal across India's mandis.
Minimum support price: ₹8,267 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
That is the price for medium staple kapas (raw cotton). Long staple kapas has ₹8,667 a quintal.
- ₹6,180 2021
- ₹9,050 2022
- ₹7,000 2023
- ₹7,050 2024
- ₹7,130 2025
Prices are usually best in October.
Typical costs are about ₹28,000 an acre (seed, fertiliser, labour and hired machines, from the government's cost survey). They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
-
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.
-
Short of potassium Your soil is likely short of potassium.
Add about a quarter more potash (MOP) than the usual dose.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.