Rapeseed & Mustard
Sow in October, harvest around February
This season's sowing time (October) is over.
Grown on 44,004 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹14,000–₹21,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹6,000 to a profit of ₹411 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain is enough in a normal year. Keep one irrigation ready for a dry year.
Needs about 280 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 60 mm it can use in a normal year (20 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 32 °C / 23 °C
- Nov 29 °C / 18 °C
- Dec 26 °C / 14 °C
- Jan 24 °C / 12 °C
- Feb 27 °C / 14 °C
Soil
Soil for Rapeseed & Mustard: 8 out of 10 (good).
- Soil here is often more acidic than it likes.
- Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of potassium.
- Most fields here are short of manganese.
Likes pH 6.0–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.9 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹5,975 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 ₹3,000 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
The better districts with similar soil, rain and warmth get 2.9 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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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.
About 50% of local fields of this crop get it.
-
Short of manganese Your soil is likely short of manganese.
Spray manganese sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, on the young crop.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Urea 51%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 50%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 43%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 1%