Rapeseed & Mustard
Sow in October, harvest around March
This season's sowing time (October) is over.
Grown on 1,184 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹18,000–₹27,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹2,000 to a profit of ₹6,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 9/10
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 250 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 110 mm it can use in a normal year (40 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 180 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 30 °C / 17 °C
- Nov 25 °C / 11 °C
- Dec 20 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
- Jan 18 °C / 5 °C (outside its best range)
- Feb 21 °C / 9 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Rapeseed & Mustard: 9 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: organic carbon.
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 6.0–8.0.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.6 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (March–April 2026): about ₹6,125 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 ₹10,000 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 5.1 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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Short of nitrogen Your soil is likely short of nitrogen.
Add about a quarter more urea than the usual dose, in two or three splits. A pulse crop in rotation also adds nitrogen.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of iron Your soil is likely short of iron.
Spray ferrous sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, when young leaves turn yellow.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.