Urad (Black Gram)
Sow in October, harvest around January
Still sowing time: sow by the end of December.
No figures for your district: its government crop records list no area or yield for this crop. Priced from mandis across your state.
₹10,000–₹15,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹4,000 to a profit of ₹1,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 1 irrigation short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
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 240 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 20 mm it can use in a normal year (10 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):
- Oct 31 °C / 22 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 16 °C
- Dec 29 °C / 13 °C (outside its best range)
Months in orange are outside its best range.
Soil
Soil for Urad (Black Gram): 7 out of 10 (okay).
- The pH here suits it.
- Low nitrogen matters less: it makes its own.
- Many fields here are short of phosphorus, which it needs a lot.
- Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
- Most fields here are short of zinc.
Likes pH 5.5–6.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 2.5 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (your district's own figure looked wrong).
On rain alone it gets about 89% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 89% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹5,738 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹8,801 a quintal, the middle of 36 mandis in your state (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹5,000 a season after typical costs.
Minimum support price: ₹8,200 a quintal (2026-27), if you sell to government procurement.
- ₹5,500 2021
- ₹5,340 2022
- ₹7,250 2023
- ₹7,500 2024
- ₹5,690 2025
Prices are usually best in October.
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 2.0 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Short of manganese Your soil is likely short of manganese.
Spray manganese sulphate, 5 g per litre of water, on the young crop.
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 100%