The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved an increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Rabi crops for the 2025-26 marketing season. This decision aims to provide farmers with remunerative prices and ensure better returns for their agricultural produce.
The highest absolute increase in MSP is for rapeseed and mustard, with a rise of ₹300 per quintal. Lentils (Masur) follow closely with an increase of ₹275 per quintal. Other crops such as gram, wheat, safflower, and barley will also see increases, with gram rising by ₹210 per quintal, wheat by ₹150 per quintal, safflower by ₹140 per quintal, and barley by ₹130 per quintal.
The new MSPs for 2025-26 will be ₹2,425 per quintal for wheat, ₹1,980 for barley, ₹5,650 for gram, ₹6,700 for lentils, ₹5,950 for rapeseed and mustard, and ₹5,940 for safflower. These figures reflect the government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring farmers receive prices that are at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production, in line with the 2018-19 Union Budget announcement.
The margin over the cost of production for wheat is expected to be 105%, followed by 98% for rapeseed and mustard, 89% for lentils, 60% for gram, 60% for barley, and 50% for safflower. These increases in MSP are intended to offer farmers fair returns and encourage crop diversification, a key focus of India’s agricultural policy in recent years.
The MSP increase will cover the costs of production, including human labour, machine labour, land lease, seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, depreciation on farm implements, interest on working capital, and electricity or diesel for irrigation. It also takes into account family labour.
This move is expected to boost farmers’ income while promoting sustainable farming practices across India.