Niger Seed

Water

Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.

Needs about 440 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 120 mm it can use in a normal year, and 60 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 41 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 38 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 35 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 37 °C / 25 °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: 6 out of 10 (okay).

Not in the score: nitrogen, sulphur and boron.

• Soil here is often too alkaline for it.
• Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
• Most fields here are short of zinc.
• Most fields here are short of iron.

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.