Bajra (Pearl Millet)
Sow in July, harvest around October
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 9,699 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹15,000–₹22,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹3,000–₹10,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
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 290 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 220 mm it can use in a normal year, and 170 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 34 °C / 25 °C
- Aug 33 °C / 25 °C
- Sep 33 °C / 24 °C
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.
Likes pH 6.5–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 8.3 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
On rain alone it gets about 76% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 76% of this yield.
Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹2,900 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹2,600 a quintal, the middle of 195 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹5,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹2,900 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
Prices are usually best in October.
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 6.7 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.