Sunflower
Sow in July, harvest around October
This season's sowing time (June–July) is over.
Grown on 1,005 acres here. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹15,000–₹23,000
per acre a season, before costs
Likely a loss at typical costs: ₹175–₹8,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 3 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 8/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 3 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 340 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 240 mm it can use in a normal year, and 180 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 17–34 °C on average, and survives 5–45 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Jul 34 °C / 25 °C
- Aug 33 °C / 25 °C
- Sep 33 °C / 24 °C
- Oct 32 °C / 24 °C
Soil
Soil for Sunflower: 8 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.8 quintals an acre here in this season (district figures).
On rain alone it gets about 70% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 70% of this yield.
Mandi price at this season's harvest so far (October 2026): about ₹7,309 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹7,283 a quintal, the middle of 20 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would lose about ₹4,000 a season at typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹8,343 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹5,220 2021
- ₹5,620 2022
- ₹4,460 2023
- ₹3,680 2024
- ₹5,080 2025
Prices are usually best in October.
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 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.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.