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–₹18,000
per acre a season, before costs
At typical costs, from a loss of ₹2,000 to a profit of ₹4,000 an acre a season
- Needs care: Risky: 2 irrigations short
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Suits: Soil 9/10
Why, and how to make it work Hide details
Water
Rain falls about 2 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.
Needs about 260 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 33 °C / 17 °C
- Dec 31 °C / 14 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 13 °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 zinc.
- Most fields here are short of boron.
Likes pH 5.5–6.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 3.0 quintals an acre here in its other seasons (district figures).
On rain alone it gets about 78% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 78% of this yield.
Mandi price at last season's harvest (February–March 2026): about ₹6,378 a quintal across mandis in your state.
This week: about ₹8,300 a quintal, the middle of 3 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.
- ₹5,860 2021
- ₹5,970 2022
- ₹7,600 2023
- ₹7,840 2024
- ₹6,310 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 3.7 quintals an acre. That's a realistic target.
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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.
-
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 100%