Niger Seed

Water

Rain falls about 5 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 210 mm it can use in a normal year, and 120 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

Grows best at 18–26 °C on average, and survives 11–34 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Jun 40 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 36 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 34 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 35 °C / 24 °C (outside its best range)

Days in June get hotter than it likes. Time sowing so it flowers before then.

Soil

Soil for Niger Seed: 7 out of 10 (okay).

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
• Most fields here are short of 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).

Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.

Mandi price at last season's harvest (September–October 2026): about ₹10,750 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.