Bajra (Pearl Millet)
Sow in June, harvest around September
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 38 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹8,000–₹12,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹3,000 to a profit of ₹851 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 irrigations short
- Needs care: Cool in July
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 2 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 240 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 170 mm it can use in a normal year, and 90 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 25–35 °C on average, and survives 12–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 29 °C / 21 °C
- Jul 27 °C / 21 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 27 °C / 21 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Bajra (Pearl Millet): 9 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 6.5–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 5.3 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (your district's own figure looked wrong).
On rain alone it gets about 73% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 73% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (September–October 2026): about ₹2,648 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹3,250 a quintal, the middle of 21 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹1,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹2,900 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹1,480 2021
- ₹2,090 2022
- ₹2,290 2023
- ₹2,380 2024
- ₹2,320 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
Typical costs are about ₹11,000 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
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 5.1 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of zinc Your soil is likely short of zinc.
Mix 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing. One dose lasts two or three seasons.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.