Jowar (Sorghum)
Sow in July, harvest around November
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 89,534 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹9,000–₹13,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹4,000 to a profit of ₹932 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 3 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 3 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 420 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 310 mm it can use in a normal year, and 180 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–35 °C on average, and survives 8–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jul 33 °C / 24 °C
- Aug 33 °C / 24 °C
- Sep 33 °C / 23 °C
- Oct 32 °C / 23 °C
Soil
Soil for Jowar (Sorghum): 7 out of 10 (okay).
- 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.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
Likes pH 5.5–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 4.1 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (December 2025): about ₹2,729 a quintal across mandis in your state.
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 ₹3,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹4,023 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹2,920 2021
- ₹2,710 2022
- ₹3,410 2023
- ₹2,760 2025
Prices are usually best in March.
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 7.6 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 50% of local fields of this crop get it.
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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.
About 12% of local fields of this crop get it.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Urea 50%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 12%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 12%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 11%