Gram (Chana)
Sow in October, harvest around February
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 1.1 lakh acres here. Sold at 4 mandis in your district.
₹11,000–₹17,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹2,000–₹7,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 7 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 7 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 350 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 30 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 15–29 °C on average, and survives 7–35 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 31 °C / 21 °C
- Nov 31 °C / 18 °C
- Dec 31 °C / 16 °C
- Jan 31 °C / 17 °C
Soil
Soil for Gram (Chana): 7 out of 10 (okay).
- The pH here suits it.
- Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
- Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
Likes pH 6.0–8.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.7 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹5,239 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹6,912 a quintal, the middle of 2 mandis in your district (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹51 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹5,958 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹4,740 2021
- ₹4,700 2022
- ₹5,040 2023
- ₹6,590 2024
Prices are usually best in October.
Typical costs are about ₹19,000 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 4.9 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.
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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.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
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.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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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.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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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):
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 91%
- Urea 69%
- Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) 0%