Rabi crop sowing has crossed 208 lakh hectares in the current fiscal as of November 11, the Agriculture Ministry said on Monday.
As per the data shared by the Ministry, the area under pulses has reached 52.82 lakh hectares, higher than 48.93 lakh hectares during the same period last year. In addition, 15.53 lakh hectares have been brought under Shri Anna and coarse cereals, while oilseeds have crossed 66.17 lakh hectares.
Last month, the government projected that farmers are likely to receive around ₹84,263 crore with the revised Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced for the Rabi Marketing Season (2026–27), based on procurement estimates of 297 lakh metric tonnes.
According to the government, MSP payouts for foodgrain procurement have more than tripled — from ₹1.06 lakh crore in 2014–15 to ₹3.33 lakh crore in July 2024 – June 2025. Procurement volumes during the same period rose from 761.40 lakh metric tonnes to 1,175 lakh metric tonnes, benefiting 1.84 crore farmers.
Since 2018–19, the government has been adjusting MSPs in line with the Union Budget commitment to ensure MSP at least 1.5 times the cost of production for all mandated crops, enabling a minimum return of 50 per cent over the all-India weighted average cost of production.
On October 1, 2025, the Cabinet approved the revised MSPs for all mandated rabi crops for the 2026–27 marketing season. MSP for kharif crops for the 2025–26 marketing season has also been increased to ensure remunerative prices for growers.
For the upcoming rabi season, the highest margin over the cost of production — 109 per cent — has been recorded for wheat.
(IANS)
