Amaranth (Rajgira / Ramdana) Farming in India 2026

Grain amaranth (rajgira, ramdana) is a realistic low-input crop for India, mainly in Gujarat (Banaskantha and Kheda), Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha and the Himalayan hills, and it needs little water. It is a small-market crop, though: the whole country grows only about 40,000 to 50,000 ha, so the price depends on a few mandis and on fasting-season demand.

The same species group also includes leafy chaulai grown as a vegetable. This guide covers the grain crop first and the leaf crop briefly.

Where it grows in India

• Hills: traditionally a hill crop (called bathu in Himachal Pradesh, chua in Uttarakhand). Hill varieties such as Annapurna, Durga and Him Gauri were released for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and J&K.
• Plains and plateau: area grew from the 1990s in central and western India. In Gujarat it covers more than 12,000 ha (rabi 2017-18), mostly in Banaskantha and Kheda districts, where it replaces wheat and potato because water is short.
• Other states with released varieties: Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
• Climate and soil: amaranth is a C4 plant that tolerates heat and drought and adapts to many soils, but gives its best in fertile, well-drained, loose soil with good organic matter.
• Sowing time: a farming guide gives June to July for kharif and February to March for a summer crop with irrigation. Gujarat farmers also grow it in rabi; confirm the local date with your KVK.

Varieties

Varieties notified by the Central Sub-Committee, with yields as reported by the All India Coordinated Research Network on Potential Crops:

Maturity ranges from about 72 to 100 days for early types such as GA-2, GA-3, BGA-2 and PRA-3 to 120 to 150 days for hill types. Buy seed of a variety released for your state from the state agricultural university or a seed outlet; amaranth cross-pollinates easily, so saved seed drifts from the variety.

Sowing, spacing and nutrition

• Seed rate: the seed is tiny; a farming guide gives 0.5 to 0.8 kg per acre (about 1.2 to 2 kg per hectare). Mix with sand or dry soil to sow evenly in rows and thin early.
• Spacing: a TNAU trial on cultivar Suvarna compared 45 x 10, 45 x 15 and 45 x 20 cm. The 45 x 15 cm spacing (about 59,000 plants per acre) with fertiliser gave the best seed quality, while the closer 45 x 10 cm gave about 17.7% more seed. The farming guide suggests 45 x 20 cm (about 45,000 plants per acre).
• Fertiliser: the same TNAU trial found 50:30:30 kg N:P2O5:K2O per hectare best, which is about 20:12:12 kg per acre. Add well-rotted farmyard manure or vermicompost before sowing. The guide mentions 2 tonnes of vermicompost per acre as a base.
• Water: the crop survives on rainfall in kharif; a summer crop needs irrigation. Avoid standing water.
• Intercropping: in the hills, field bean and amaranth at 2:1 gave the highest benefit-cost ratio (2.57) in a trial; in Gujarat amaranth with gram (1:1) is common. Sow in separate rows.

Pests and diseases

• Serious pest or disease problems are not usually reported. Pests listed in the literature: aphids, caterpillars, leafhoppers, blister beetles, flea beetles, mealybugs, stem weevils and stem borers.
• Diseases listed: damping-off, white rust, leaf blight, head canker, and some viral and mycoplasma problems.
• Use clean seed, resistant varieties and good drainage. Older university recommendations name insecticides that are now banned or restricted in India; follow the label and your local KVK before spraying anything.

Harvest and yield

• Harvest when the heads turn straw-coloured and lower seed rubs out easily. A farming guide gives 80 to 90 days for grain in short-duration types; hill types take longer.
• Cut, dry on a clean sheet and thresh gently. Keep grain clean and dry for storage.
• Yield: national average about 16 q/ha (6.5 q per acre). Reported peaks are 25 q/ha (10 q per acre) in the plains and up to 40 q/ha (16 q per acre) in the mountains. Released varieties average 11.6 to 22.5 q/ha (about 4.7 to 9 q per acre).

Cost and returns

• Price: at Palanpur APMC, Gujarat, rajgira traded around ₹8,400 to ₹8,500 per quintal in August 2026 (₹84 per kg), within a 2026 range of roughly ₹7,500 to ₹8,500. Check the day's rate at mandi bhav.
• Arithmetic: 4 to 8 q per acre x ₹7,500 to ₹8,500 = ₹30,000 to ₹68,000 gross per acre. A farming guide puts inputs and labour at about ₹10,000 to ₹12,000 per acre, so net is roughly ₹20,000 to ₹55,000 per acre for the grain crop depending on yield and price. Your land rent, harvesting labour and transport are extra.
• Leaf crop: the same guide reports 1.5 to 2.5 tonnes of leaf per acre over 5 to 6 cuttings at ₹20 to ₹35 per kg, with inputs near ₹15,000. This is a secondary source and leaf prices swing sharply by town and season.

Market and selling

• Palanpur APMC in Banaskantha is described as one of the biggest amaranth grain markets in India, from where grain moves to other states.
• Demand is mostly for fasting foods (ladoo, chikki, flour) and popped grain. Popped rajgira and flour fetch more per kg than raw grain, but processing needs equipment and a licence.
• Researchers note that area is unlikely to grow much because the crop has limited use as a staple food. A glut in a high-acreage year can pull the price down.
• Groups of growers can sell better through an FPO. See subsidy finder for support; no crop-specific rate has been verified.

Sources

• Plant Archives, Genetic resources, varietal and value-added development of grain amaranth in India
• Plant Archives, High yield and stability improved cultivar of grain amaranth in plain regions of India (ICAR-NBPGR and partners)
• TNAU study, Influence of fertilizer and spacing on seed yield and quality of grain amaranth cv. Suvarna
• Organic Mandya, amaranth (rajgira) farming (secondary source)
• ACROP, Palanpur rajgira mandi price (Agmarknet data)