Oil palm fertiliser, water and subsidy guide

Oil palm fertiliser doses by age (adult palm: 650 g urea, 940 g SSP, 500 g MOP, 4 times a year), monthly water needs, fertiliser prices, drip subsidy in AP and Telangana, and farming costs.

Templates & downloads

Harvest record sheetPrint and fill in; send a photo in Ask/Log to save it Fertiliser record sheetPrint and fill in; send a photo in Ask/Log to save it Expense record sheetPrint and fill in; send a photo in Ask/Log to save it

Crop calendar · September

Water 140–200 litres per palm a day.
Check weekly for bud rot, bunch rot and stem wet rot; clean affected crowns.
Mix Metarhizium into manure pits (1 kg per 100 kg) so rhinoceros beetles can't breed.

From ICAR-IIOPR Crop Calendar 2026

Fertiliser by palm age

Age	Urea	SSP	MOP (potash)
Year 1NPK 400:200:400	870 g	1250 g	667 g
Year 2NPK 800:400:800	1739 g	2500 g	1333 g
Year 3NPK 1200:600:2700	2609 g	3750 g	4500 g
Adult (4+)NPK 1200:600:1200	2609 g	3750 g	2000 g

g per palm per year. With drip fertigation adult palms need half: 600:300:600 g NPK.

When and how much

When	Per palm
Adult palm, each time4 times a year	Urea 650 g SSP 940 g MOP (potash) 500 g
MicronutrientsFeb, Mar, Aug	Magnesium sulphate 250 g Borax 50 g

Sources: TNAU Agritech: oil palm nutrients, ICAR-IIOPR: Fertigation in oil palm, ICAR-IIOPR Crop Calendar 2026

Water by month

Month	Adult L/day	Young L/day
Jan	150–180	100–120
Feb	200–220	100–120
Mar	250–280	120–140
Apr	250–280	120–150
May	260–300	120–150
Jun	220–270	110–140
Jul	180–220	100–110
Aug	180–200	100–110
Sept	140–200	100–110
Oct	140–180	100–110
Nov	140–180	100–110
Dec	120–160	100–110

Litres per palm per day, with 4 drippers per palm.

Sources: ICAR-IIOPR Crop Calendar 2026, TNAU Agritech: oil palm irrigation

Fertiliser prices (per bag)

Fertiliser	Price per bag
Urea45 kg	₹2672025-01
DAP50 kg	₹1,3502026-03
MOP (potash)50 kg	₹1,7112026-03
SSP *50 kg	₹4412024-04

* SSP price is from 2024.

Sources: IFFCO fertiliser MRP list (1 Jan 2025), Govt reply in Rajya Sabha, Mar 2026 (via newkerala), MP Markfed SSP prices, Kharif 2024 (via Khetivyapar)

Drip subsidy

Who	Subsidy
SC/ST small & marginal (under 5 acres)Andhra Pradesh	100%Up to ₹2 lakh
Other small & marginal (under 5 acres)Andhra Pradesh	90%Up to ₹2 lakh
Medium (5–10 acres)Andhra Pradesh	70%Up to ₹2.8 lakh
Others (over 10 acres)Andhra Pradesh	50%Up to ₹4 lakh
Oil palm drip (NMEO-OP 2024-25)Telangana	80–100%Up to ₹22,518 per acre

Check this year’s rates with your horticulture officer.

Sources: APMIP subsidy (Krishna district page, 2019-20), Telangana Horticulture (Suryapet district page)

Farming costs

Cost	Typical
Upkeep (labour, manure, sprays)	₹20,677per acre a year
Fertiliser, adult palm	₹117per palm a year
Harvest labour	₹501per tonne
Transport	₹915per acre a year