Wheat MSP

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 least hikes in percentage terms was reserved for paddy which is the main foodgrain crop grown during the kharif season

The government has purchased about 6 million tonne of wheat so far in the 2025-26 marketing season that began on April 1, a food ministry official said on Tuesday. The government has set a procurement target of 31 million tonne for the current season, with approximately 20 million tonne expected to come from major producing states Punjab and Haryana, and the remainder from other states. This target is lower despite the agriculture ministry forecasting record wheat production of 115 million tonne in the 2024-25 crop year (July-June). "Much of the quantity procured so far has come from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Procurement in Punjab and Haryana would pick up pace in the coming days," the official said. The crop yields are reported to be good and the procurement target will be achieved, the official added. Government wheat procurement in 2024-25 was 26.6 million tonne against a target of 30-32 million tonne. This exceeded the 26.2 million tonne procured in 2023-24, when the .

Data from the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture predicts wheat yields may drop by 6-25% by the year 2100, while irrigated rice yields could fall by 7% by 2050 and 10% by 2080

Wheat stocks in state warehouses totalled 20.6 million tons at the start of December, slightly higher than the previous year's 19.2 million tons, but far below five-year average of 29.5 million

The government on Wednesday further tightened wheat stock holding norms for wholesalers, small and big chain retailers, and processors to curb hoarding and check price rise. "As part of continuous efforts to moderate prices of wheat, the central government has decided to revise the wheat stock limit applicable until 31st March 2025," the food ministry said in a statement. According to the revised norms, wholesalers are now allowed to maintain wheat stock up to 1,000 tonne instead of 2,000 tonne, retailer can hold 5 tonne for each outlet instead of 10 tonne, while big chain retailer can hold 5 tonne for each outlet instead of 10 tonne earlier. Processors will be allowed to maintain 50 per cent instead of 60 per cent of their monthly installed capacity multiplied by the remaining months till April 2025. The stock limits on wheat were first imposed on June 24 and later revised to tighten the norms on September 9 in order to manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and

The MSP increase is aimed at providing a safety net for farmers, amidst a "moderation" in inflation, while the DA hike is expected to benefit around 4.91 million employees and 6.48 million pensioners

The highest MSP hike was given to Rapeseed and Mustard, with a rise of Rs 300 per quintal (from Rs 5,650 to Rs 5,950), followed by Lentil (Masur), which saw an increase of Rs 275 per quintal

The millers argue that wheat prices at current levels of around Rs 2,700-2,800 per quintal are well justified, given that the MSP of the crop has been raised

Secretary Sanjeev Chopra says food prices to remain stable during festivals; mulls lifting curbs on non-basmati rice exports

Pulses see sharper price moderation due to muted summer demand

A drop in state procurement has fuelled the buzz about impending imports. Will that really be necessary?

Prices of some farm commodities have softened from their peaks, with state agencies also cracking down on hoarding and selling some grains from state reserves

Wheat procurement for the 2024-25 marketing year has surpassed last year's total of 262.02 lakh tonnes, boosted by strong contributions from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, the government said on Friday. In a statement, the government said 262.48 lakh tonnes of rabi (winter)-sown grain has already been purchased for the central pool, benefiting 22.31 lakh farmers, with a minimum support price outflow of Rs 59,715 crore. The major procuring states were Punjab with 124.26 lakh tonnes, Haryana with 71.49 lakh tonnes, Madhya Pradesh with 47.78 lakh tonnes, Rajasthan with 9.66 lakh tonnes and Uttar Pradesh with 9.07 lakh tonnes. Wheat procurement normally runs from April to March, but the Centre this year allowed states to make purchases based on crop arrivals. In most states, the procurement began in early March. The government has set a wheat procurement target of 300-320 million tonnes for the 2024-25 marketing year. Rice procurement is also progressing smoothly, with 728

However, trade and industry officials say the world's second-biggest wheat producer won't be able to achieve its procurement target of 30-32 million tons

In poll season, dwindling wheat production is a matter of political debate

Payment for targeted purchase to cross Rs 13,000 crore

Wheat inventories in government warehouses fell to 9.7 million metric tons at the start of March, the lowest since 2017

Above normal heatwave projected for next 3 months, coinciding with 7-phase LS polls from April 19 to June 1

India had imposed a limit on how much wheat stock traders could hold to moderate prices. However, the limit is set to expire on March 31st and after that, traders must declare their wheat stocks