In a major relief for sunflower farmers across Karnataka, the state government has announced that it will procure sunflower crops from the 2025-26 Rabi season at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹7,721 per quintal. The move is expected to provide price security to farmers and prevent distress sales during the harvest season.
The order was issued by Shivanand Patil, Karnataka’s Minister for Sugarcane Development, Sugar, Textiles, and Agricultural Marketing. The government has also directed officials to begin preparations for procurement operations across several districts in the state.
As per the central government’s MSP guidelines, procurement centres will be set up in 11 districts based on local requirements.
The districts include:
Bagalkot, Belagavi, Ballari, Vijayapura, Chamarajanagar, Chitradurga, Gadag, Kalaburagi, Vijayanagar, Raichur, Dharwad
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) have been appointed as the central procurement agencies. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Cooperative Oilseeds Growers’ Federation will function as the state-level procurement agency.
The registration period for farmers has been fixed at 50 days, while procurement operations will continue for 60 days.
The minister instructed Deputy Commissioners, who also head the District Task Force Committees, to begin procurement activities immediately after the farmer registration process begins.
The government has also emphasised the need to establish procurement centres in warehouses equipped with modern technical and scientific facilities, especially to support farmers in rural areas.
Officials have been directed to make all necessary arrangements to ensure that the registration and procurement process is carried out smoothly and without delays.
Shivanand Patil issued a strict warning against any misuse of the MSP procurement system. He stated that traders and procurement agencies must not be allowed to exploit the scheme in the name of farmers.
The minister also directed officials to submit daily progress reports on procurement activities to the state government and the Karnataka State Agricultural Marketing Board to ensure transparency and accountability throughout the process.
