New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday said it has paid ₹27.8 lakh crore to farmers under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime between 2014 and June 2026, with procurement of MSP crops rising to 12,819 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) during the period.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur said the government fixes MSPs for 22 agricultural crops every year based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) after consulting states and other stakeholders.
The government reiterated that since 2018-19, MSPs have been fixed at at least 1.5 times the cost of production, in line with the Union Budget announcement.
According to the data, 5,781 LMT of crops were procured between 2021-22 and June 2026, with farmers receiving ₹14.58 lakh crore as MSP payments during the period.
The Centre said procurement of cereals is undertaken by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies, while NAFED and NCCF procure pulses, oilseeds and copra under the PM-AASHA scheme. Cotton and jute are procured through the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and Jute Corporation of India (JCI), respectively.
The government also highlighted initiatives such as the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) and the Price Differential Payment mechanism introduced in 2024-25 to support farmers, alongside reforms aimed at improving procurement, direct MSP payments and crop diversification.
