Decision to Procure Sorghum and Sunflower at MSP in Telangana

26-May-2026 10:39 AM

Hyderabad: The government of Telangana—a key agricultural producing state in South India—has decided to undertake, on its own initiative, the procurement of sorghum (Jowar) and sunflower from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Farmers are currently incurring losses as the wholesale market prices for both these commodities have dropped below the MSP. Meanwhile, the state government has also expanded its maize procurement operations, approving an additional bank guarantee of ₹1,867.77 crore, thereby raising the total allocated amount to approximately ₹6,000 crore.

Telangana's Agriculture Minister stated that while the Central Government was urged to provide financial assistance to ensure the procurement of these agricultural commodities at MSP, no favorable or positive response was received from their end. Consequently, the Telangana government decided to proceed with the procurement using its own resources.

During the 2025-26 Rabi season, Telangana is projected to achieve a bumper harvest of approximately 43 lakh tonnes of maize, with an estimated average yield rate of 26.50 quintals per acre. A bank guarantee of ₹4,173 crore has already been sanctioned to the State Marketing Federation for the procurement of maize.

To date, 13 lakh tonnes of maize have been procured at MSP, and a decision has now been taken to procure an additional 6.50 lakh tonnes. The Minimum Support Price for maize is ₹2,400 per quintal, whereas the prevailing market price stands at only ₹1,700 per quintal.

Similarly, the market price for hybrid sorghum in the state has dropped to ₹2,000 per quintal—significantly lower than the MSP of ₹3,699 per quintal. Telangana is estimated to produce approximately 4 lakh tonnes of sorghum. An estimated ₹1,100 crore will be spent on its procurement.

The wholesale market price for sunflower has fallen to ₹5,376 per quintal, which is considerably lower than its MSP of ₹7,721 per quintal.