Pariksha SaathiRabi MSP for Marketing Season 2027-28: safflower gets the highest absolute increase, Rs 675 per quintal, says PIB Backgrounder
A PIB Backgrounder of 29 October 2026 sets out the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for the Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2027-28; the Government approved increased MSPs for all mandated Rabi crops for the season on 30 September 2026. The MSPs per quintal, with the increase over 2026-27, are: wheat Rs 2,610 (up Rs 25), barley Rs 2,286 (up Rs 136), gram Rs 5,958 (up Rs 83), lentil (masur) Rs 7,390 (up Rs 390), rapeseed & mustard Rs 6,613 (up Rs 413) and safflower Rs 7,215 (up Rs 675). The highest absolute increase is for safflower, followed by rapeseed & mustard, lentil (masur) and barley, and the MSPs for wheat and gram have also been raised. Wheat records the highest estimated margin over the cost of production, 106%, followed by rapeseed and mustard (96%), lentil (masur) (92%) and gram (59%); the Backgrounder's table gives 58% for barley and 50% for safflower, and it says the RMS 2027-28 decisions continue to provide a minimum margin of 50 percent over the cost of production. During RMS 2027-28 an estimated Rs 90,962 crore is expected to be paid to farmers for 324 lakh metric tonnes of produce. MSPs are announced every year for 22 mandated crops on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). Procurement of six Rabi crops rose from 2,302 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) during 2004-05 to 2013-14 to 3,921 LMT during 2014-15 to 2025-26, and MSP payments for them from Rs 2.65 lakh crore to Rs 8.36 lakh crore; in RMS 2026-27, wheat procurement stood at 357.57 LMT, with an MSP value of Rs 92,432.51 crore, benefiting over 34 lakh farmers. Under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) of PM-AASHA, through which pulses, oilseeds and copra are procured, biometric authentication of farmers became mandatory from the 2025-26 season.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
A PIB Backgrounder of 10 October 2025 said the Cabinet had approved, on 1 October 2025, increased MSPs for all mandated Rabi crops for RMS 2026-27. The highest absolute increase that year was also for safflower, Rs 600 per quintal, followed by lentil (masur) at Rs 300 per quintal; wheat's MSP was raised by Rs 160 to Rs 2,585 per quintal, and wheat had the highest expected margin over cost, 109%. Procurement in RMS 2026-27 was estimated at about 297 lakh MT, for which farmers were expected to receive about Rs 84,263 crore. The Backgrounder explained that since 2018-19 the Government has been increasing MSPs for all mandated crops in line with the Union Budget 2018-19 announcement to set MSP at least 1.5 times the cost of production, which ensures a minimum return of 50% over the all-India weighted average cost of production.
Check yourself: which crop got the highest absolute MSP increase for RMS 2026-27, and since which year has the Government been increasing MSPs in line with the Budget announcement of at least 1.5 times the cost of production?
Safflower, by Rs 600 per quintal; since 2018-19, following the Union Budget 2018-19 announcement.
Revision task: from this release, note the six Rabi MSPs for 2027-28 with their increases, the order of the four largest increases, the crop with the highest margin over cost, and the estimated payment and quantity for RMS 2027-28; from the note, the RMS 2026-27 increases for safflower, lentil and wheat and the Budget 2018-19 principle.
Test yourself
According to the PIB Backgrounder on Minimum Support Prices for the Rabi Marketing Season 2027-28, which crop has been given the highest absolute increase in MSP?
Show the answer
Answer: Safflower
The Backgrounder says the highest absolute increase in MSP for RMS 2027-28 has been announced for safflower, Rs 675 per quintal (to Rs 7,215), followed by rapeseed & mustard (Rs 413), lentil (masur) (Rs 390) and barley (Rs 136). Wheat, whose MSP rose by Rs 25 to Rs 2,610 per quintal, records the highest estimated margin over the cost of production, 106%.
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