Castor Seed
Sow in August, harvest around January
This season's sowing time (July–August) is over.
Grown on 40 acres here. Priced from mandis across India.
₹37,000–₹55,000
per acre a season, before costs
After typical costs: ₹12,000–₹31,000 an acre a season
- Suits: Rain is enough
- Suits: Ideal temperatures
- Needs care: Soil 7/10
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 570 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 520 mm it can use in a normal year, and 320 mm in a dry year.
Temperature
Grows best at 20–30 °C on average, and survives 15–39 °C.
Here, in its growing months (day / night):
- Aug 35 °C / 25 °C
- Sep 35 °C / 25 °C
- Oct 33 °C / 24 °C
- Nov 30 °C / 23 °C
- Dec 29 °C / 21 °C
- Jan 30 °C / 21 °C
Soil
Soil for Castor Seed: 7 out of 10 (okay).
- 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 nitrogen.
Likes pH 6.0–7.5.
How the soil score worksMoney
Yield: about 7.5 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (your district's own figure looked wrong).
Mandi price at last season's harvest (January–February 2026): about ₹6,106 a quintal across India's mandis.
- ₹4,670 2021
- ₹6,580 2022
- ₹5,720 2023
- ₹5,530 2024
- ₹6,000 2025
Prices are usually best in November.
Typical costs are about ₹24,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2024–2026), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.
How to make it work
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Short of nitrogen Your soil is likely short of nitrogen.
Add about a quarter more urea than the usual dose, in two or three splits. A pulse crop in rotation also adds nitrogen.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of organic carbon Your soil is likely short of organic carbon.
Add 4 tonnes of compost or farmyard manure per acre before sowing, and plough crop leftovers back in instead of burning them.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.
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Short of boron Your soil is likely short of boron.
Mix 4 kg of borax per acre into the soil before sowing.
Ask your Krishi Vigyan Kendra what to add for this crop.