Sesame (Til)
Sow in October, harvest around January
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 16 acres here. Sold at 2 mandis in your district.
₹27,000–₹41,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹13,000–₹26,000 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 250 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 410 mm it can use in a normal year (210 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 40 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
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):
- Oct 32 °C / 24 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 23 °C
- Dec 29 °C / 22 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 21 °C
Soil
Soil for Sesame (Til): 8 out of 10 (good).
Not in the score: organic carbon, sulphur and boron.
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
- Most fields here are short of potassium.
Likes pH 5.5–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.6 quintals an acre here (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹9,394 a quintal at mandis in your district.
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 ₹37,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹10,346 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹9,280 2022
- ₹13,600 2023
Prices are usually best in May.
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 2.3 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 potassium Your soil is likely short of potassium.
Add about a quarter more potash (MOP) than the usual dose.
About 100% of local fields of this crop get it.
What local farmers put on it (share of fields):
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 100%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 100%