Sesame (Til)
Sow in July, harvest around October
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 37 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹26,000–₹39,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹12,000–₹25,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 1 irrigation short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 1 irrigation (5 cm) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 280 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 240 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):
- Jul 28 °C / 21 °C
- Aug 28 °C / 21 °C
- Sep 28 °C / 21 °C
- Oct 29 °C / 21 °C
Soil
Soil for Sesame (Til): 9 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Many fields here are short of boron, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 5.5–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.1 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (your district's own figure looked wrong).
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 this season's harvest so far (October–November 2026): about ₹12,763 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹14,050 a quintal, the middle of 5 mandis in your state (latest 12 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹22,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹10,346 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹7,920 2021
- ₹10,360 2022
- ₹15,810 2023
- ₹11,750 2024
- ₹8,730 2025
Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.
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 1.6 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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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.