New Delhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday welcomed the Union Cabinet’s decision to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops for the 2026-27 marketing season, saying that farmer welfare remains the Modi government’s top priority.

In a post on X, Shah said the decision would help raise farmers’ income, make agriculture more profitable, and strengthen the rural economy.

“Farmers' welfare is the topmost priority of the Modi government,” he said.

Shah added that the Cabinet’s move to ensure at least a 50 per cent margin over farmers’ production costs was an important step toward boosting agricultural profitability and rural prosperity.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved revised MSPs for 14 kharif crops for the 2026-27 marketing season.

According to the government, the highest absolute increase in MSP was approved for sunflower seed, which saw a hike of Rs 622 per quintal. Cotton followed with an increase of Rs 557 per quintal, while nigerseed and sesamum saw hikes of Rs 515 and Rs 500 per quintal respectively.

The government said the revised MSPs are in line with the Union Budget 2018-19 announcement of fixing MSP at a minimum of 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production.

Among the crops, farmers are estimated to receive the highest margin over production cost in moong at 61 per cent. Bajra and maize are expected to provide margins of 56 per cent each, while tur/arhar offers an estimated 54 per cent margin. The remaining crops are projected to provide margins of around 50 per cent.

The Centre also said it has been encouraging the cultivation of pulses, oilseeds and nutri-cereals, also known as Shree Anna, by offering relatively higher MSP increases for these crops.

Highlighting procurement trends, the government stated that paddy procurement between 2014-15 and 2025-26 reached 8,418 lakh metric tonnes, compared to 4,590 lakh metric tonnes during 2004-05 to 2013-14.

Procurement of all 14 kharif crops during 2014-15 to 2025-26 stood at 8,746 lakh metric tonnes, significantly higher than the 4,679 lakh metric tonnes recorded in the previous decade.

According to official figures, MSP payments to paddy farmers during 2014-15 to 2025-26 amounted to Rs 16.08 lakh crore, compared to Rs 4.44 lakh crore during 2004-05 to 2013-14.

READ MORE: Abeda Inamdar left a cushy job to change lives through education, social reform

For all 14 kharif crops combined, MSP payments during the same period stood at Rs 18.99 lakh crore, compared with Rs 4.75 lakh crore in the preceding decade.