Sesame (Til)
Sow in June, harvest around September
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
No recent figures for your district. Priced from mandis across India.
₹17,000–₹25,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹2,000–₹11,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 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 2 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 310 mm it can use in a normal year, and 210 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 39 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Jul 35 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Aug 34 °C / 26 °C
- Sep 33 °C / 24 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Sesame (Til): 7 out of 10 (okay).
Not in the score: nitrogen.
- 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.
- Most fields here are short of phosphorus.
Likes pH 5.5–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.0 quintals an acre here (older figures, 2017-18).
On rain alone it gets about 84% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 84% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (September–October 2026): about ₹12,500 a quintal across India's mandis.
This week: about ₹14,050 a quintal, the middle of 81 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹9,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹10,346 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹7,840 2021
- ₹9,550 2022
- ₹13,310 2023
- ₹11,590 2024
- ₹8,860 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
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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 boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.