Rabi MSP 2027-28: Crop-wise Rates, Trend and What Changed

No. As of 24 September 2026, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has not announced minimum support prices for rabi marketing season (RMS) 2027-28. This article gives the confirmed RMS 2026-27 rates and will be updated with the new crop-wise figures as soon as the government releases them.

The timing is predictable. Rabi MSP is normally approved between late September and October, before sowing picks up. Last year's decision came on 1 October 2025, as per the PIB release on rabi MSP for 2026-27. The same six crops are covered every year: wheat, barley, gram (chana), lentil (masur), rapeseed and mustard, and safflower.

One point often confuses readers. RMS 2027-28 means the crop you sow in October to December 2026 and sell from March to June 2027. So the MSP announced this October is the price for the crop you are planning right now.

The latest confirmed rabi MSP is for RMS 2026-27, approved on 1 October 2025. Wheat is at ₹2,585 per quintal and mustard at ₹6,200 per quintal. The table below compares it with the previous season and shows the cost of production used by the government.

What changed in the last announcement

• Safflower received the biggest absolute hike of ₹600 per quintal, about 10%.

• Masur went up by ₹300 and crossed ₹7,000 per quintal for the first time.

• Wheat rose by ₹160 (about 6.6%), the highest hike among cereals in recent years.

• Wheat has the widest margin over cost at 109%, while safflower is at the minimum 50% mark.

Rabi MSP has risen every year, but not evenly. Over RMS 2023-24 to 2026-27, wheat went up about 22%, masur about 17%, mustard about 14% and gram only about 10%.

All values are ₹ per quintal, taken from the Cabinet releases for RMS 2024-25 and RMS 2026-27. Wheat has seen steady hikes of ₹150 to ₹160 every year. If the same pattern holds, a wheat MSP somewhere around ₹2,700 to ₹2,750 for RMS 2027-28 would be in line with the trend, but treat this only as a trend reading, not a forecast of the official figure.

Gram is the crop to watch. Its MSP has risen the slowest, while pulses are now a national priority under the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-26 to 2030-31). That mission focuses on tur, urad and masur, which partly explains the larger hikes for masur.

MSP is fixed by the Union Cabinet on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). Since the Union Budget 2018-19, the rule is that MSP must be at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production.

The cost used for this rule is called A2+FL. A2 covers paid-out costs such as seed, fertiliser, pesticides, hired labour, machinery hire, irrigation and interest on working capital. FL is the imputed value of family labour. Farmer groups often ask for the wider C2 cost, which also counts rent on owned land and interest on owned capital, so the margin looks smaller on that basis.

1. CACP collects cost of cultivation data from states through the Comprehensive Scheme for cost of cultivation studies.

2. It considers demand and supply, domestic and international prices, inter-crop price parity and the effect on consumers.

3. CACP sends its price policy report for rabi crops to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

4. The Ministry consults states and central ministries, then places the proposal before the CCEA.

5. The CCEA approves the rates and PIB publishes the crop-wise MSP list, usually in October.

You get MSP only when you sell to a government procurement agency at a notified centre. Selling to a private trader in the mandi does not assure you MSP, even though the rate is announced.

Wheat is bought mainly by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies. Pulses and oilseeds like gram, masur and mustard are bought under the Price Support Scheme through NAFED and NCCF, and only in states that have sought procurement. Under the pulses mission, the Centre has said NAFED and NCCF will procure 100% of tur, urad and masur from registered farmers in participating states for four years.

1. Register on your state's procurement portal during the registration window, usually January to March. Examples are e-Uparjan in Madhya Pradesh, Meri Fasal Mera Byora in Haryana and the food and civil supplies portal in Uttar Pradesh.

2. Keep Aadhaar, land record (khasra or khatauni), girdawari or crop sowing entry and an Aadhaar-linked bank account ready.

3. Book a slot or wait for the SMS giving your date and purchase centre.

4. Bring clean, dry grain. Wheat is generally accepted up to 12% moisture under FAQ (fair average quality) norms, with limits on shrivelled and broken grains.

5. Get the purchase receipt and track payment, which is sent by DBT to your bank account.

Some states add a bonus over MSP. In RMS 2026-27, Rajasthan paid a ₹150 per quintal bonus on wheat and Madhya Pradesh paid ₹40 over MSP, as reported during procurement. Check your state's announcement each year.

Wheat procurement in RMS 2026-27 was strong. By 21 May 2026, about 33 million tonnes had been bought against a revised target of 34.5 million tonnes, and trade reports later put the final figure above 35 million tonnes.

These state figures were reported by Rural Voice on 21 May 2026. The lesson for growers outside Punjab, Haryana and MP is simple: procurement exists in your state too, but centres fill up and close early, so early registration matters.

Per quintal, masur and safflower have the highest MSP. Per acre, wheat often gives the most reliable income because procurement is widest and yields are higher under irrigation.

A simple way to compare is gross MSP value per acre. At an irrigated wheat yield of 18 to 20 quintals per acre, the MSP value at ₹2,585 is roughly ₹46,500 to ₹51,700. At a mustard yield of 7 to 8 quintals per acre, the value at ₹6,200 is about ₹43,400 to ₹49,600. Chana at 7 to 8 quintals per acre gives about ₹41,100 to ₹47,000 at ₹5,875. These are gross figures before costs and are only examples; your own yields decide the answer.

Mustard and chana use less water and fertiliser than wheat, so their net return can be close to wheat on rainfed or limited-irrigation land. The weak point is procurement: mustard and chana are bought at MSP only when market prices fall below MSP and the state is covered under PSS.

Do not wait for the RMS 2027-28 announcement to plan. MSP has not been cut in any recent year, so the 2026-27 rates are a safe floor for budgeting. What you can control now is yield and grain quality, which decide how much of that MSP turns into income.

• Get your soil tested before sowing so you do not over- or under-apply NPK. For wheat, a balanced basal package such as a wheat soil nutrition kit helps cover major and micronutrient needs at sowing.

• For mustard on light soils, sulphur and boron often limit oil content and seed filling. A mustard soil kit is one way to supply these together.

• For chana, seed treatment and good root nodulation matter more than heavy urea. A chana soil kit designed for gram can support early root growth.

• Use certified seed of varieties recommended by your state agriculture university and sow on time. In most of north and central India, wheat sown after the last week of November loses yield with each week of delay.

• Always follow the product label and local agriculture officer advice for doses.

FPOs and dealers who need these inputs in bulk for members can contact Katyayani Organics for volume supply ahead of the sowing window.

Bookmark this page and check the official PIB release in October for RMS 2027-28 rates. Until then, plan with the 2026-27 figures: wheat ₹2,585, mustard ₹6,200, gram ₹5,875 and masur ₹7,000 per quintal.

Keep your land records, sowing entry and Aadhaar-seeded bank account in order now, so registration in January is quick. The farmers who get MSP are usually the ones who registered first, not the ones with the biggest crop.