Urad (Black Gram)
Sow in November, harvest around February
Sowing time is now.
No figures for this season in your district. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹12,000–₹19,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹2,000 to a profit of ₹5,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Needs care: Cool in November
- Suits: Soil 9/10
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 220 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 0 mm it can use in a normal year (0 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 200 mm from the monsoon at sowing.
Temperature
Grows best at 22–35 °C on average, and survives 8–40 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Nov 29 °C / 13 °C (outside its best range)
- Dec 27 °C / 10 °C (outside its best range)
- Jan 26 °C / 10 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Urad (Black Gram): 9 out of 10 (good).
- The pH here suits it.
- Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
- Most fields here are short of iron.
Likes pH 5.5–6.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.4 quintals an acre here in its other seasons (district figures).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹6,464 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹7,143 a quintal, the middle of 94 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹3,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹8,200 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹4,950 2021
- ₹4,420 2022
- ₹6,000 2023
- ₹5,650 2025
Prices are usually best in July.
Typical costs are about ₹14,000 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 2.2 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.
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 5%