Gandhinagar, May 13 (IANS) Farmers in Gujarat will be able to plan the upcoming Kharif sowing season with advance clarity on minimum support prices (MSP) for 2026-27, after the Central government announced revised procurement rates for key crops ahead of the sowing period.​

The Centre has increased MSPs across several major Kharif crops, with cotton, sesame, tur and groundnut among those receiving higher rates compared to last year.​

The announcement has been made before sowing begins for crops including groundnut, cotton, paddy, jowar, bajra, ragi, maize, tur, moong, urad and soybean, enabling farmers to factor in prices while deciding crop patterns.​

For 2026-27, groundnut MSP has been fixed at Rs 7,517 per quintal, an increase of Rs 254 over the previous year. Long staple cotton has been set at Rs 8,667 per quintal, up from Rs 8,110.​

Sesame has been fixed at Rs 10,346 per quintal, up by Rs 500, while tur has been increased by Rs 450 to Rs 8,450 per quintal.​

Other MSPs announced include paddy at Rs 2,441 per quintal, jowar at Rs 4,023, bajra at Rs 2,900, ragi at Rs 5,205, maize at Rs 2,410, moong at Rs 8,780, urad at Rs 8,200 and soybean at Rs 5,708 per quintal.​

State Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani welcomed the timely announcement of support prices, stating that “the decision would help safeguard farmers’ incomes by ensuring remunerative returns in line with input costs”.​

He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chairs the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the early fixation of MSPs and the increase in rates for key crops.​

The state government said the advance announcement before sowing would allow farmers to make informed decisions on crop selection and planning, particularly in the state’s major producing regions, where groundnut and cotton remain key cash crops.​

Separately, the state’s agriculture department has issued an advisory to farmers ahead of the monsoon sowing season, urging strict caution while purchasing seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.​

It has directed farmers to procure agricultural inputs only from authorised cooperative societies, government institutions or licensed private dealers, and warned against purchasing from unauthorised sellers or unlicensed operators.​

The advisory further stated that farmers should insist on proper bills containing licence details, full dealer identification, input specifications and lot numbers.​

It also emphasised that expired agricultural inputs should not be used under any circumstances and that application should strictly follow scientifically recommended quantities.​

Farmers have additionally been advised to report any suspected sale of counterfeit or unauthorised agricultural inputs to the concerned agriculture officer or the district Deputy Director of Agriculture (Extension) to prevent malpractice during the sowing season.​

–IANS

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