Sesame (Til)
Sow in June, harvest around September
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
No figures for this season in your district. Sold at 1 mandi in your district.
₹34,000–₹52,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹20,000–₹37,000 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, even in a dry year.
Needs about 320 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 460 mm it can use in a normal year, and 330 mm in a dry year.
Heavy rain here can waterlog it. Grow it on raised beds or land that drains well.
Temperature
Grows best at 20–30 °C on average, and survives 10–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jun 36 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
- Jul 31 °C / 24 °C
- Aug 30 °C / 23 °C
- Sep 31 °C / 23 °C
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Sesame (Til): 8 out of 10 (good).
- 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 organic carbon.
Likes pH 5.5–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.5 quintals an acre here in its other seasons (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (September–October 2026): about ₹12,394 a quintal at mandis in your district.
This week: about ₹13,700 a quintal, the middle of 3 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹33,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹10,346 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹10,580 2022
- ₹14,900 2023
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 2.0 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
-
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 100% of local fields of this crop get it.
-
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.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Urea 100%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 56%
- Urea Ammonium Phosphate 25%
- NPK Mixture 17%