The government announces an MSP hike for paddy, followed by other pulses, oilseeds and cotton. File | Photo credit: ANI
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) announced the minimum support price (MSP) for kharif crops for the 2026-27 season, with the paddy MSP increased by ₹72 per quintal to ₹2,441 for the regular variety.
Talking to reporters after the CCEA meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the revised MSP will ensure a return of around 50% against the production cost of each crop.
For Class A paddy varieties, the revised MSP is ₹ 2,461 per quintal. The MSP for cotton (medium staple) has been increased by ₹ 557 to ₹ 8,267 per quintal, while the long staple variety would fetch ₹ 8,667 per quintal. The government said the increase was 123% and 117% compared to MSP for both products in 2013-14.
Among edible oilseeds, the MSP of sunflower seed was increased by ₹ 622 to ₹ 8,343 per quintal, Niger seed by ₹ 515 to ₹ 10,052 per quintal and sesame by ₹ 500 to ₹ 10,346 per quintal. The MSP of soybean, another major crop whose production declined last season, was raised by ₹ 380 to ₹ 5,708 per quintal, while that of groundnut by ₹ 254 to ₹ 7,517 per quintal.
In pulses, the increase was between ₹ 12 and ₹ 450. Tur (arhar) MSP increased by ₹ 450 to ₹ 8,450 per quintal, urad by ₹ 400 to ₹ 8,200 per quintal and moong by ₹ 12 to ₹ 8,780 per quintal. Among cereals, jowar MSP increased by ₹324 to ₹4,023 per quintal and bajra by ₹125 to ₹2,900 per quintal, ragi by ₹319 to ₹5,205 per quintal and maize by ₹20,410 per quintal.
While the Center said MSP levels were significantly increased compared to 2013-14 levels, farmers’ organizations criticized the new rates, saying they did not take into account the possible “catastrophic impact” of the India-US trade agreement and other free trade agreements on the agriculture sector.
“Farmers duped by BJP”
Senior Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader and All India Kisan Sabha president Ashok Dhawale said the BJP was cheating farmers with what he described as a paltry increase in MSP “which is in no way commensurate with the massive increase in input costs of seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, diesel, petrol, electricity and water”.
He claimed that farmer suicides have seen a rise under the BJP-led regime and the newly signed free trade agreements would increase farm suffering. “Prices of all items have skyrocketed over the past year and now, using the West Asian crisis as an excuse, the Modi regime plans to impose even more burdens on the people through its austerity measures. The sharp fall in the rupee against the dollar will significantly increase the cost of agricultural inputs. Moreover, fertilizers have already become scarce, with a consequent black market.
He said that the only way out of this crisis is to fix the MSP at one and a half times the comprehensive cost of production and at the same time announce a complete loan waiver for the landless, poor and middle peasants and tenant farmers. “The BJP-led regime will never do this because it is beholden to the corporate lobby, domestic and foreign. Nor will it repeal the four draconian labor codes and abandon its privatization efforts,” he said, calling on peasants and workers to defeat “pro-rich politicians” together.
Published – 13 May 2026 19:25 IST
