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. Sold at 2 mandis in your district.
₹13,000–₹20,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹5,000–₹12,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 10/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 2 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 280 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 10 mm it can use in a normal year (0 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 32 °C / 20 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 14 °C
- Dec 26 °C / 10 °C
- Jan 25 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Niger Seed: 10 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
Likes pH 5.5–6.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.4 quintals an acre here in its other seasons (district figures).
On rain alone it gets about 74% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 74% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹9,275 a quintal at mandis in your district.
Minimum support price: ₹10,052 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
Prices are usually best in October.
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
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 1.3 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.