Proposal for 100% Procurement of Pulses and Oilseeds at MSP

31-Mar-2026 07:24 PM

New Delhi. An ad-hoc parliamentary committee constituted for the agricultural sector has stated that the government should procure 100 percent of the marketable surplus of pulses and oilseeds from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP)—a significant increase from the current procurement level of only 25 percent.

Enhanced government procurement would ensure remunerative prices for farmers, boost their enthusiasm and interest in cultivating pulse and oilseed crops, and help reduce imports from abroad.

A colossal amount of funds is currently spent on the import of pulses and edible oils, making it imperative to curtail these expenditures.

In its report, the parliamentary panel has also put forward several other recommendations. It suggests that the import duty mechanism should be dynamic; specifically, whenever the global market price of palm oil falls below $800 per tonne, a 20 percent safeguard duty should be imposed to ensure the protection of the interests of domestic oilseed producers.

Furthermore, the panel has emphasized the need to develop new varieties of pulse and oilseed crops that are climate-resilient, capable of withstanding pest and disease outbreaks, and characterized by high yield rates.