Harvest Payday: 21 Lakh Farmers Reap ₹62,156 Crore at MSP

Image Source: IAS Next

The Central Government has disbursed ₹62,156 crore to 21 lakh farmers for wheat bought at Minimum Support Price (MSP) during the current 2025-26 Rabi marketing season. This is a big boost to facilitate timely payments and stabilize farmer incomes in the face of increasing agricultural production.

Important Points:

Payment Amount: The ₹62,156 crore payment is for wheat purchases under MSP operations, demonstrating the government's focus on price assurance to farmers.

Farmer Reach: More than 21 lakh farmers have been benefited from the procurement, with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh topping early arrivals.

Procurement Target: The government has set a target to procure 30–31 million tonnes of wheat in the current season, with purchases already crossing 1 million tonnes in early April.

MSP Increase: Wheat MSP for 2025-26 has been increased by 6.59% to ₹2,425 per quintal, providing a 105% margin of profit above production costs.

Stock Levels: The existing stocks of wheat with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) are currently at 12 million tonnes, significantly over the 7.46-million-tonne buffer level for April.

The development comes in the wake of farmer agitation over demands for assured prices, especially in the face of continuous protests and demands for legal MSP guarantees.

Sources: Sarkaritel.com, BizzBuzz, Financial Express