Sunflower
Sow in October, harvest around January
Still sowing time: sow by the end of November.
Grown on 4,309 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹13,000–₹19,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹4,000–₹11,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 6 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 6 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 290 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 40 mm it can use in a normal year (10 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 0 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 17–34 °C on average, and survives 5–45 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Oct 30 °C / 21 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 19 °C
- Dec 30 °C / 17 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 17 °C
Soil
Soil for Sunflower: 8 out of 10 (good).
- 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 zinc.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.4 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹6,593 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹6,981 a quintal, the middle of 2 mandis in your district (latest 12 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹6,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹8,343 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹5,880 2021
- ₹5,960 2022
- ₹4,660 2023
- ₹4,640 2024
- ₹5,860 2025
Prices are usually best in August.
Typical costs are about ₹23,000 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
-
Short of sulphur Your soil is likely short of sulphur.
Use single super phosphate instead of DAP, or add about 100 kg of gypsum per acre before sowing.
Few local farmers add it to this crop, so it's an easy place to get ahead.
-
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.
-
Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
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 78%
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 46%
- Calcium Ammonium Nitrate 16%
- Muriate of Potash (MOP) 12%