Cotton and soyabean growers across the region are grappling with acute stress this season as deficit rainfall has dealt a severe blow to crop yields. Staring at an estimated 15 to 20 per cent drop in harvest, the farming community was facing the grim prospect of heavy financial losses and mounting debt. However, a sharp rally in market prices hovering well above the Minimum Support Price (MSP) has brought a much-needed ray of hope, offering crucial economic respite to distressed farmers. Although the arrival of cotton in local markets is yet to fully commence - leaving trade experts unsure about the overall crop volume - analysts anticipate a noticeable drop in total arrivals owing to the monsoon deficit. Despite the reduced output, soaring prices are providing significant relief to growers.

 

Commoditiy	2026-27	2025-26
Cotton	Rs 9300-9700	Rs 7000-7400
Soya bean	Rs 6700-7000	Rs 4200-4600

 

 

In the current season, prevailing market prices for cotton have jumped to a range of Rs 9,300 to Rs 9,700 per quintal, comfortably beating the MSP of Rs 8,267 per quintal for medium staple and Rs 8,667 per quintal for long staple cotton. This stands in stark contrast to the previous 2025–26 season, when depressed local rates of Rs 7,000 to Rs 7,400 per quintal fell well short of the then MSP. While the local markets including Kalmana Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) are awaiting major arrivals, cotton procurement has already begun in border areas adjoining Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. A similar turnaround is unfolding in the soyabean market, where trading has already gained momentum at the Kalmana APMC yard.

 

Current soyabean prices are floating between Rs 6,700 and Rs 7,000 per quintal, significantly outperforming the current MSP of Rs 5,708 per quintal. This marks a major recovery from last year, when soyabean traded at a discouraging Rs 4,200 to Rs 4,600 per quintal against an MSP of Rs 5,328 per quintal. The strong market demand and favourable returns are providing timely cash flow to farmers as they work to recover from the production losses caused by poor rains.