Gram (Chana)
Sow in October, harvest around February
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 4,038 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹16,000–₹23,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹3,000 to a profit of ₹5,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 5 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 5 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 330 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 120 mm it can use in a normal year, and 70 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 15–29 °C on average, and survives 7–35 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 31 °C / 22 °C
- Nov 29 °C / 21 °C
- Dec 29 °C / 19 °C
- Jan 31 °C / 19 °C
Soil
Soil for Gram (Chana): 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 6.0–8.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.7 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹5,171 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹7,000 a quintal, the middle of 283 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹8,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹5,958 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹4,710 2021
- ₹4,510 2022
- ₹4,790 2023
- ₹6,300 2024
- ₹5,530 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
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 5.6 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.
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.