Nanded: Under the Union Government’s Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme, 33 MSP centres have been sanctioned in Nanded district for the purchase of soybean, moong and urad during the Kharif season 2025–26. Last year, the purchase process started at 17 centres on October 15. However, the MSP centres this year were sanctioned with a delay of one month when the farmers had already sold most of their agricultural produce in the open market. Now, the farmers are questioning what is the use of this MSP scheme if they are not getting the benefit.
The farmers faced terrible crop losses due to heavy rains during August and September. The Kharif crops were damaged on 7,27,932 hectares of land in Nanded district. The soil eroded from most of the farms and the land became uncultivable. The average agricultural production in the district has reduced due to these natural calamities. The production of soybean remained only 2 quintals per acre and cotton 1.5 quintals. The farmers faced a severe financial crisis, and they hoped that the remaining produce would get good prices, but their worries further increased as the sanctioning of the MSP centres was delayed.
During the Kharif season this year, sowing was done on 7,56,051 hectares of land in the district, of which soybean was on 4,55,871 hectares and cotton on 1,97,643 hectares. However, both these primary crops were damaged due to heavy rains. The government has announced ₹5,238 MSP per quintal for soybean and ₹8,110 per quintal for cotton. However, the MSP centres started late after Diwali. Due to the financial crisis and preparations for the Rabi season, the farmers had to sell soybean at the rate of ₹3,200 and cotton for ₹7,000 per quintal to traders.
Most of the small and medium farmers have already sold their produce in the open market. Now, the benefit of MSP will be only to the big farmers and traders, who have stocked the produce. Hence, the farmers in the district are upset due to the delay in sanctioning the MSP centres.
