Sesame (Til)
Sow in June, harvest around September
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 34,224 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹8,000–₹12,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹3,000–₹7,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 3 irrigations short
- Needs care: Warm in June
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 3 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 370 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 260 mm it can use in a normal year, and 130 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 20–30 °C on average, and survives 10–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 40 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)
- Jul 35 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 33 °C / 25 °C
- Sep 34 °C / 25 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Sesame (Til): 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: boron.
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
- Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
Likes pH 5.5–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 1.1 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
On rain alone it gets about 72% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 72% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (September–October 2026): about ₹12,145 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹14,500 a quintal, the middle of 13 mandis in your state (latest 12 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹3,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹10,346 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹7,930 2021
- ₹9,350 2022
- ₹13,120 2023
- ₹11,340 2024
- ₹8,780 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
Typical costs are about ₹15,000 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 1.5 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.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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Short of organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
Short of zinc Your soil is likely short of zinc.
Mix 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre into the soil before sowing. One dose lasts two or three seasons.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
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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.
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 7%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 4%