Rapeseed & Mustard
Sow in October, harvest around February
This season's sowing time (October) is over.
Grown on 37,342 acres here. Sold at 6 mandis in your district.
Only with irrigation: rain gives too little of its water to count on
- Needs care: Risky: 4 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 4 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 330 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 0 mm it can use in a normal year (0 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 150 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 34 °C / 19 °C
- Nov 31 °C / 15 °C
- Dec 27 °C / 11 °C
- Jan 25 °C / 10 °C
- Feb 29 °C / 13 °C
Soil
Soil for Rapeseed & Mustard: 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
- Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
Likes pH 6.0–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 4.9 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
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 (February–March 2026): about ₹6,235 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹8,051 a quintal, the middle of 81 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov).
Minimum support price: ₹6,613 a quintal (2027-28), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹6,340 2021
- ₹6,200 2022
- ₹5,040 2023
- ₹5,400 2024
- ₹6,300 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 4.8 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
-
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.
About 60% of local fields of this crop get it.
-
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 89%
- Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 60%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 9%
- Ammonium Sulphate 2%