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The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea to accord weightage to states' proposal on the exact cost of cultivation while fixing minimum support price (MSP). A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the Centre and others, including the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, seeking their response on the plea. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, said the plea raises a very important issue related to the farmers in the country. The plea has sought direction to the authorities to ensure complete procurement of all notified crops under the MSP calculated on the basis of the exact cost of cultivation. It has also sought direction to take appropriate steps to ensure complete procurement of crops from all farmers who are desirous of selling their crops at the MSP.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday chaired a virtual meeting with state agriculture ministers, flagging gaps in farmer registration, fertiliser distribution, and pulse procurement under PM-AASHA. With 9.25 crore farmer IDs created across 19 states so far, Chouhan directed state governments to mount a joint campaign between agriculture and revenue departments to hit 100 per cent coverage of the scheme within six months. He stressed that registration must go beyond PM-Kisan beneficiaries to include all eligible farmers, an official statement said. On fertilisers, the minister came down hard on hoarding and black-marketing, asking states to enforce strict checks -- particularly in border areas, where he flagged illegal movement of inputs as a pressing concern. He called for a technology-based distribution system to ensure equitable access and nudged states towards promoting organic and natural farming to curb imbalanced fertiliser use. Haryana's 'Meri Fasal
The government on Wednesday announced a 6.59 per cent increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat to Rs 2,585 per quintal for the 2026-27 marketing year, up from Rs 2,425 per quintal last year. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Briefing the media, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Cabinet had approved the MSP for six rabi crops for 2026-27 based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). In absolute terms, the highest increase has been announced for safflower at Rs 600 per quintal, followed by lentil (masur) at Rs 300 per quintal. For rapeseed and mustard, the increase is Rs 250 per quintal; gram Rs 225 per quintal; barley Rs 170 per quintal; and wheat Rs 160 per quintal. The MSP for barley has been increased to Rs 2,150 per quintal from Rs 1,980 per quintal. Among key rabi pulses, the support price for gram has been fixed at Rs 5,875 per quintal, up from
The committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP), headed by former agriculture secretary Sanjay Agrawal, has held 45 meetings so far, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday in Rajya Sabha. The committee was established in July 2022, eight months after the government promised to set up such a panel while withdrawing the three contentious farm laws. "Overall, 45 meetings, including 39 sub-committee/ sub-group meetings have been held till date," Chouhan said in his written reply to the Upper House. The minister asserted that the government is committed that the full benefits of MSP reach the farmers of the country. The minister explained that the committee was constituted to give suggestions on making the MSP system more effective and transparent. Additionally, the committee was asked to examine the feasibility of giving greater autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and ways to make it more scientific. "With a view to ensuring higher pric