Niger Seed

Water

Rain is enough in a normal year. Keep one irrigation ready for a dry year.

Needs about 170 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 40 mm it can use in a normal year (10 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 140 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):

• Nov 26 °C / 11 °C
• Dec 21 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 18 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 22 °C / 10 °C (outside its best range)

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Nights in January can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Soil

No soil score here: the soil tests don't say enough about nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium.

Likes pH 5.5–6.5.

Money

Yield: about 1.3 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹9,350 a quintal across India's mandis.

Minimum support price: ₹10,052 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.

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.