Jowar (Sorghum)
Sow in October, harvest around February
This season's sowing time (September–October) is over.
Grown on 15,912 acres here. Sold at 2 mandis in your district.
₹24,000–₹36,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹12,000–₹24,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 4 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
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 330 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 0 mm it can use in a normal year (0 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 150 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–35 °C on average, and survives 8–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 34 °C / 23 °C
- Nov 34 °C / 20 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 16 °C
- Jan 28 °C / 15 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Jowar (Sorghum): 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- It copes with the salt here.
- 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 5.5–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 6.8 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹4,415 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹3,675 a quintal, the middle of 123 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹13,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹4,023 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹2,110 2021
- ₹2,810 2022
- ₹4,410 2023
- ₹3,360 2024
- ₹3,230 2025
Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.
Prices are usually best in November.
Typical costs are about ₹12,000 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 5.9 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of nitrogen Your soil is likely short of nitrogen.
Add about a quarter more urea than the usual dose, in two or three splits. A pulse crop in rotation also adds nitrogen.
About 79% of local fields of this crop get it.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Urea 79%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 28%