Rapeseed & Mustard
Sow in October, harvest around May
This season's sowing time (October) is over.
Grown on 169 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹23,000–₹34,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹3,000–₹14,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Needs care: Cool in November
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain is enough, even in a dry year.
Needs about 480 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 620 mm it can use in a normal year (470 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 200 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 15–28 °C on average, and survives 7–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 22 °C / 12 °C
- Nov 18 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 15 °C / 3 °C (outside its best range)
- Jan 13 °C / 1 °C (outside its best range)
- Feb 14 °C / 2 °C (outside its best range)
- Mar 17 °C / 5 °C (outside its best range)
- Apr 20 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
- May 23 °C / 13 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Rapeseed & Mustard: 7 out of 10 (okay).
- Soil here is often more acidic than it likes.
- Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
- Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of phosphorus.
Likes pH 6.0–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 4.2 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (your district's own figure looked wrong).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (May–June 2026): about ₹6,800 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹8,226 a quintal, the middle of 176 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹14,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹6,613 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹6,280 2021
- ₹6,220 2022
- ₹5,210 2023
- ₹5,400 2024
- ₹6,200 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
Typical costs are about ₹20,000 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
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Short of phosphorus Your soil is likely short of phosphorus.
Add about a quarter more DAP or single super phosphate than the usual dose, at sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of potassium Your soil is likely short of potassium.
Add about a quarter more potash (MOP) than the usual dose.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
-
Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
-
Short of manganese Your soil is likely short of manganese.
Spray manganese sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, on the young crop.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.