How do I decide my crop based on what the market actually wants?

Deciding by the market means picking a crop you can sell at a fair price, not just one you can grow well, because a good harvest with no buyer or a crashed price is a loss. Start by checking what your nearby mandis and buyers actually purchase regularly and at what rates across seasons, and look at price trends over the last few years rather than one good month. Find out if there is a processing unit, exporter, cooperative or contract buyer near you for a particular crop, since assured buyers reduce risk. Notice gaps where local supply is short and demand is steady, and the seasons when a crop fetches more because few have it then. Be careful with a crop whose price just spiked, because everyone else may also plant it and crash the price next season. Where available, MSP backed crops give a price floor as a safety option. So combine what you can grow with what the market reliably pays, and confirm current prices, demand and buyer options with your local mandi, traders and KVK before fixing your plan.