Parliament Question: MSP in West Bengal

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2756 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 04TH AUGUST, 2026 MSP IN WEST BENGAL 2756. MD ABU TAHER KHAN: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE be pleased to state: (a) the minimum support price (MSP) fixed for jute and Paddy for the current year; (b) the arrangement made/steps taken for timely procurement in West Bengal; and (c) the steps taken to ensure that farmers receive payment directly in their bank accounts within the stipulated time? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI RAM NATH THAKUR) (a) to (c): Every year, Government fixes Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for 22 mandated agricultural crops including Paddy & Jute for the country as a whole, based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP), after considering the views of the State Governments and Central Ministries/Departments concerned. The Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced the pre-determined principle to keep MSPs at levels of at least one and half times of the cost of production. Accordingly, Government had increased MSPs for all mandated Kharif, Rabi and other commercial crops with a minimum margin of 50 percent over all India weighted average cost of production from year 2018-19 onwards. The details of current MSP of Paddy & Jute for Marketing Season 2026-27 are given as under: (Rs. per quintal) Paddy (Common) 2441 (Grade A) 2461 Jute 5925 Out of the total production, only marketable surplus is available for procurement by Government agencies when market price of these produce falls below the MSP. Government procures cereals and coarse cereals through Food Corporation of India (FCI) and other designated State Agencies to provide price support to the farmers. Procurement of pulses, oilseeds and copra is done under Price Support Scheme under umbrella scheme of Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM- AASHA), on the request of the concerned State Government as per the guidelines as and when market price of these produce fall below the MSP. Procurement agencies under PM-AASHA Scheme are National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and National Co-operative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF). Cotton and Jute are also procured by Government at MSP through Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and Jute Corporation of India (JCI), respectively. Increased MSP has benefited farmers of the country including farmers of West Bengal which are evident from data of procurement and MSP amount paid to the farmers. The procurement details for All India and West Bengal, along with the MSPamount paid to farmers during the period 2014–2026 (up to June 2026), are furnished below: All India West Bengal Procurement MSP Value Procurement MSP Value (In LMT) (In Crore) (In LMT) (In Crore) Paddy 8548 1639511.30 336.15 62764.43 Jute 3.18 1341.66 2.27 947.68 To facilitate timely procurement of paddy across the West Bengal State, 620 Centralized Procurement Centres (CPCs) and 179 Mobile Centralized Procurement Centres (mCPCs) retained for KMS 2025-26. The Mobile CPCs strategically deployed in remote and inaccessible villages. MSP (₹2,369/quintal) plus ₹20/quintal incentive for KMS 2025-26 paid through DBT within three working days for encouraging farmers to sell their produce at the Centralised and mobile Procurement Centres of State Govt. Other important initiatives include Biometric authentication, Online farmer registration, Aadhaar authentication, bank validation and self-scheduling through the e-Paddy portal for faster and transparent procurement. West Bengal is the largest jute-producing State in the country. The Jute Corporation of India (JCI) undertakes MSP operations in the State through 69 Departmental Purchase Centres (DPCs) under seven Regional Offices, along with empaneled agencies and mobile procurement operations. To strengthen MSP operations, JCI has introduced digital initiatives such as the PAAT-MITRO Slot Booking System, JCI SAHOYOG platform, and satellite-based crop monitoring through the Jute Crop Information System (JCIS), besides undertaking certified seed distribution, farmer awareness programmes and scientific retting interventions. *******