Niger Seed
Sow in October, harvest around January
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
No figures for this season in your district. Priced from mandis across India.
₹16,000–₹24,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹8,000–₹16,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain is enough in a normal year. Keep one irrigation ready for a dry year.
Needs about 220 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 50 mm it can use in a normal year (20 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 200 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 18–26 °C on average, and survives 11–34 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 31 °C / 22 °C (outside its best range)
- Nov 28 °C / 18 °C
- Dec 25 °C / 13 °C
- Jan 24 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Niger Seed: 9 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
Likes pH 5.5–6.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.3 quintals an acre here in its other seasons (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹8,763 a quintal across India's mandis.
Minimum support price: ₹10,052 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹5,600 2021
- ₹6,380 2022
- ₹8,000 2023
- ₹8,000 2024
- ₹8,130 2025
Prices are usually best in August.
Typical costs are about ₹8,000 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
-
Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.