MSP for 6 rabi crops hiked ahead of sowing season

NEW DELHI: Nudging farmers on their choice of crops ahead of the peak winter sowing season, govt on Wednesday approved a hike in the MSP for six rabi crops , increasing the support price of mustard and rapeseed by Rs 300 per quintal, of lentil by Rs 275 per quintal, and of wheat by Rs 150 per quintal.

The hike will bring the new MSP of mustard & rapeseed, lentil, wheat and gram to Rs 5,950 per quintal, Rs 6,700 per quintal, Rs 2,425 per quintal and Rs 5,650 per quintal, respectively, during the 2025-26 marketing season, beginning April 1. Raising MSP will cost the govt Rs 87,657 crore.

Though mustard & rapeseed and lentil (masur) secured a higher hike in absolute terms in sync with govt's focus on oilseeds and pulses, farmers will get the highest percentage return over production cost in case of wheat - popular rabi crop which occupies the highest acreage.

The expected margin over all-India weighted average cost of production is 105% for wheat, followed by 98% for rapeseed & mustard; 89% for lentil; 60% each for gram and barley; and 50% for safflower. Barley and wheat secured the highest percentage increase at 7% and 6.6%, respectively, over the 2024-25 MSP.



"This increased MSP of rabi crops will ensure remunerative prices to the farmers and incentivise crop diversification ," said I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw .

He said the hike was in line with the 2018-19 budget announcement of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times of the all-India weighted average cost of production.

Although the announcement comes as Maharashtra and Jharkhand are heading for polls, Vaishnaw dismissed any connection between MSP hikes and the polls, saying such announcements typically occur around this time.