Bajra (Pearl Millet)
Sow in July, harvest around October
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 1.9 lakh acres here. Sold at 7 mandis in your district.
₹8,000–₹11,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹121–₹4,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 4 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 4 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 320 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 140 mm it can use in a normal year, and 60 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):
- Jul 37 °C / 27 °C
- Aug 35 °C / 26 °C
- Sep 35 °C / 24 °C
Soil
Soil for Bajra (Pearl Millet): 9 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 6.5–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 8.5 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
On rain alone it gets about 43% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 43% of this yield.
Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹2,603 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹2,602 a quintal, the middle of 2 mandis in your district (latest 10 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹2,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹2,900 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
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 organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
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 88%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 37%
- Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate / Monohydrate 11%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 10%