Crop Profit Calculator
Work out cost, yield and profit per acre — with and without your own labour counted.
Farm profitability is usually judged on what is left in hand at the end of the season, which quietly treats family labour and land as free. This calculator reports both figures — cash profit and full profit — along with the break-even yield and price that decide whether a season works.
Costs, yield and price
Result
Fill in the fields above and your result will appear here.
What the Crop Profit Calculator does
Cash profit is income less out-of-pocket costs. It is what most farmers actually experience. Full profit additionally values the family's own labour at local wage rates and the land at its rental value, which is how an economist would assess whether the crop is worth growing at all.
The gap between them matters. A crop that covers cash costs but not family labour is paying a wage, not generating a return — and knowing that is the starting point for deciding whether to change crop, lease the land out, or invest in yield.
How to use this tool
- Select your crop and enter the area in whatever unit you use.
- Enter each cost per acre. Use the seed and fertiliser calculators for those two figures.
- Enter your own labour in person-days per acre and value it at the local wage rate — this is the step most costings skip.
- Add land rent if you lease, or the rent you could receive if you own the land.
- Enter expected yield in quintals per acre and the price you expect, plus by-product income from straw or fodder.
Formula and method
Cash cost = Seed + Fertiliser + Pesticide + Machinery
+ Irrigation + Hired labour + Other
Total cost = Cash cost + Family labour + Land rent
Income = Yield × Price + By-product income
Cash profit = Income − Cash cost
Full profit = Income − Total cost
Break-even yield = (Total cost − By-product) ÷ Price
Break-even price = (Total cost − By-product) ÷ Yield
Cost per quintal = (Total cost − By-product) ÷ Yield
Worked example
Example: 5 acres of wheat, 18 quintal/acre at ₹2,400
| Cash cost per acre | ₹22,500 |
| Family labour (12 days × ₹400) | ₹4,800 |
| Total cost per acre | ₹27,300 |
| Income (18 × ₹2,400 + ₹3,000 straw) | ₹46,200 |
| Cash profit per acre | ₹23,700 |
| Full profit per acre | ₹18,900 |
| Break-even yield | 10.1 quintal/acre |
Across five acres that is ₹94,500 of full profit for the season. Break-even at 10.1 quintal against an expected 18 leaves reasonable room for a poor year.
What your result means
Break-even yield is the most useful risk measure. If it sits close to your expected yield, one bad season wipes out the return.
Cost per quintal compares directly against the minimum support price. If your cost of production exceeds MSP, the crop is not viable at guaranteed prices.
Full profit below zero with positive cash profit is extremely common in Indian agriculture. It means the farm is paying for inputs and providing a wage, but not a return on land and effort.
Important considerations
- Check the current minimum support price for your crop before setting the price. Actual mandi rates frequently differ from MSP, in both directions.
- By-product income from straw and fodder is significant for cereals and is often left out of costings entirely.
- Interest on a crop loan is a real cost. Include it under other costs if you borrow for inputs.
- Yield varies more than any other input in this calculation. Running the numbers at a poor, average and good yield shows how exposed the season is.
- Crop insurance premiums are modest relative to the loss they cover, particularly for rainfed crops.
- Comparing full profit across two crops on the same land is the right way to decide what to sow, since both carry the same land cost.
Limitations of this tool
- It covers a single crop for a single season. Multiple cropping, intercropping and crop rotation benefits are not modelled.
- Depreciation on owned machinery is not separated out — include an allowance under machinery cost if you own equipment.
- Price and yield are your estimates. Both are uncertain until the crop is sold.
- Government subsidies, income support payments and insurance receipts are not included.
Frequently asked questions
How much profit does one acre of wheat give in India?
At 18 quintal per acre and ₹2,400 per quintal with typical costs, roughly ₹19,000–₹24,000 per acre depending on whether family labour is counted. Yield and price both vary widely, so run your own numbers.
Should I count my own labour as a cost?
Yes, if you want to know whether the crop is genuinely profitable. Leaving it out makes almost any crop look viable. Reporting both cash and full profit, as this tool does, is the honest approach.
What is break-even yield?
The yield at which income exactly covers cost at your expected price. If your break-even is close to your expected yield, a poor season turns profit into loss — that gap is your margin of safety.
Should I include the value of straw?
Yes. Fodder and straw are real income for cereal crops and can be 5–15% of total revenue. Excluding them understates profitability meaningfully.