## Policy Summary: Cotton MSP Operations for Kharif Season 2025-26
The Ministry of Textiles is implementing Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations for cotton during the Kharif Marketing Season 2025-26, commencing October 1, 2025. The initiative aims to ensure remunerative prices for cotton farmers and a digitally empowered cotton ecosystem. Key highlights of the program include:
* **Record Procurement Centers:** A record 550 procurement centers have been established across major cotton-producing states, adhering to newly defined uniform norms that consider cotton cultivation area, APMC yard availability, and the presence of a stock processing factory.
* **Digital Integration:** All processes, from procurement by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to stock sales, are now faceless and paperless, aligning with the Digital India vision.
* **'Kapas Kisaan' Mobile App:** Farmers can register nationwide via Aadhaar-based self-registration and book 7-day rolling slots through the newly launched 'Kapas Kisaan' mobile app. This app facilitates transparent procurement operations and direct Aadhaar-linked payments to farmers' bank accounts via the National Automated Clearing House (NACH).
* **Phased Procurement Start Dates:** Procurement will commence on October 1, 2025, in the North States, October 15, 2025, in the Central States, and October 21, 2025, in the South States.
* **Grievance Redressal Mechanisms:** Local Monitoring Committees (LMCs) will be constituted at each APMC mandi for immediate grievance redressal. Dedicated state-level helplines and a central CCI helpline will be active throughout the procurement period.
* **Continued Support:** The SMS-based payment intimation service introduced last year will continue. Adequate manpower, logistics, and infrastructural support will be in place before the season's commencement.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Textiles: The Indian government ministry responsible for the formulation of policy and coordination of activities relating to the textile industry.
Shri Giriraj Singh: Union Minister of Textiles, Government of India.
Cotton MSP Operations: Minimum Support Price operations for cotton procurement.
Kharif Season 2025-26: The Kharif Marketing Season for cotton, spanning the years 2025 and 2026.
Cotton Corporation of India (CCI): The government agency responsible for implementing the MSP for cotton.
KapasKisaan: A mobile application for self-registration and slot booking for cotton farmers.
Minimum Support Price (MSP): A form of market intervention by the Government of India to provide price support to farmers.
Digital India: A Government of India initiative to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
Ministry of Textiles
Union Minister Shri Giriraj Singh Reviews
Preparedness for Cotton MSP Operations for Kharif
Season 2025–26
First-time norms notified for procurement centre
operations: Record 550 centres proposed across
major cotton-growing states
Nationwide self-registration by farmers and slot
booking via 'Kapas-Kisaan' mobile app begins this
season
Posted On: 03 SEP 2025 10:53AM by PIB Delhi
nd
Union Minister of Textiles, Shri Giriraj Singh, chaired a high-level review meeting on 2 September 2025 in
New Delhi in the presence of Smt. Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary Textiles, Smt. Padmini Singla, Joint
Secretary (Fibre), Shri Lalit Kumar Gupta, CMD, Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and other senior officials
from Ministry of Textiles & the Cotton Corporation of India to assess the preparedness for Minimum Support
Price (MSP) operations for cotton during the upcoming Kharif Marketing Season 2025–26 commencing from
st
1 October 2025.
Reiterating the Government’s commitment to the welfare of cotton farmers, Union Minister Shri Giriraj Singhassured that all kapas arriving under MSP guidelines will be procured without disruption, with a focus on
timely, transparent, and farmer-centric service delivery. He reaffirmed Government’s vision to protect the
interest of cotton farmers by ensuring remunerative price for their produce and accelerate the shift towards a
digitally empowered cotton ecosystem.
In line with the Government’s Digital India vision, all processes—right from procurement of cotton by the
Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) under MSP operations to sale of stocks—are now completely faceless and
paperless, strengthening farmers’ and other stakeholders confidence and trust in MSP operations, said Union
Minister.
For the first time, uniform norms have been laid down for the establishment of procurement centres, factoring
in key parameters such as cotton cultivation area, availability of functional APMC yards and at least
availability of one stock processing factory at cotton procurement centr+e. As a result, a record 550
procurement centres have been set up across major cotton-producing states. Procurement of cotton under MSP
st th st
will commence from 1 October in the North States, 15 October in the Central States and from 21 October
2025 in the South States.
Starting this season, nationwide Aadhaar-based self-registration of cotton farmers and 7-day rolling slot
booking will be facilitated via the newly launched ‘Kapas-Kisaan’ mobile app. This digital platform aims to
streamline procurement operations, ensure transparency and enable direct Aadhaar-linked payments to
farmers’ bank accounts through the National Automated Clearing House (NACH). The SMS-based payment
intimation service introduced last year will also continue.
To enhance on-ground support, Local Monitoring Committees (LMC) will be constituted at each APMC
mandi for immediate grievance redressal by the States. Additionally, dedicated state-level helplines and a
Central CCI helpline will remain active throughout the procurement period. Adequate manpower deployment,
logistics support and other infrastructural arrangements would be in place before commencement of cotton
season.***
MAM/SMP
(Release ID: 2163236)