Bajra (Pearl Millet)
Sow in October, harvest around January
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 1,871 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Doesn't suit: Too dry without irrigation
- Needs care: Cool in November
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.
Needs about 240 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 40 mm it can use in a normal year (10 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 0 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 25–35 °C on average, and survives 12–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 30 °C / 21 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 19 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 30 °C / 17 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Bajra (Pearl Millet): 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of nitrogen, which it needs a lot.
- Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of sulphur.
Likes pH 6.5–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 5.3 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹2,152 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹3,250 a quintal, the middle of 3 mandis in your district (latest 13 Nov).
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 10 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
About 16% of local fields of this crop get it.
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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.
About 16% of local fields of this crop get it.
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Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Urea 83%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 46%
- Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate / Monohydrate 16%
- Calcium Ammonium Nitrate 12%