Centre approves higher MSP for copra for 2026 season to support cultivators

The central government approved an increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for copra for the 2026 season. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the revised MSP on Friday. 

 

In a statement, the committee said the Fair Average Quality MSP for milling copra was fixed at ₹12,027 per quintal, while ball copra was set at ₹12,500 per quintal for the 2026 season.

 

The government said that its policy since the 2018–19 Union Budget was to set MSPs at no less than 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production to ensure cultivators earned remunerative returns.

 

According to the committee, the 2026 rates marked an increase of ₹445 per quintal for milling copra and ₹400 per quintal for ball copra compared with the previous season. The statement added that the MSP for both categories had risen significantly over the past decade. 

 

“The Government has increased MSP for milling copra and ball copra from ₹5,250 per quintal and ₹5,500 per quintal for the marketing season 2014 to ₹12,027 per quintal and ₹12,500 per quintal for the marketing season 2026, registering a growth of 129 per cent and 127 per cent, respectively,” it said.

 

The committee emphasised that a higher MSP would strengthen earnings for coconut growers and encourage expansion in copra production to meet rising demand for coconut-based products in India and abroad. 

 

“A higher MSP will not only ensure better remunerative returns to the coconut growers but also incentivise farmers to expand copra production to meet the growing demand for coconut products both domestically and internationally,” the statement said.

 

It further said that the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) would continue to serve as the Central Nodal Agencies responsible for procuring copra under the Price Support Scheme.