Sesame (Til)
Sow in June, harvest around September
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 1.0 lakh acres here. Sold at 7 mandis in your district.
₹15,000–₹23,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹701–₹8,000 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 330 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 310 mm it can use in a normal year, and 120 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 37 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
- Jul 33 °C / 26 °C
- Aug 32 °C / 26 °C
- Sep 33 °C / 25 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Sesame (Til): 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Salt in the soil here can harm 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 nitrogen.
Likes pH 5.5–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 1.5 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (September–October 2026): about ₹12,827 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹14,750 a quintal, the middle of 7 mandis in your state (latest 7 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹7,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹10,346 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹11,390 2022
- ₹13,930 2023
- ₹11,500 2024
- ₹8,340 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 2.1 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.
About 41% of local fields of this crop get it.
-
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.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 41%
- Urea 34%