Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday, 8 July 2026 announced the central government's approval for government procurement of copra and Totapuri mangoes from farmers in Tamil Nadu, citing farmer welfare as the top priority of the Narendra Modi government.

What Was Announced

In a post on X, Chouhan stated that the government has approved procurement of 87,000 metric tonnes of milling copra and 226 metric tonnes of ball copra under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism during 2026. Simultaneously, 96,879 metric tonnes of Totapuri mangoes will be procured under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).

The Market Intervention Price for Totapuri mangoes has been fixed at ₹1,545.41 per quintal. The total MSP value of the approved procurement is stated to exceed ₹1,049.16 crore.

Chouhan described the decision as 'kisanon ko sankatpurn bikri se rahat' (relief to farmers from distress sales), adding that it would strengthen farmers' income and their confidence in agriculture.

Context

Tamil Nadu is among India's leading producers of coconut and Totapuri mangoes, a variety grown extensively in the state's southern districts. Seasonal gluts in production often depress market prices below remunerative levels, pushing farmers toward distress sales to traders at unfavourable rates.

The MSP for copra and the MIS for perishable horticultural commodities are among the central government's primary instruments to provide a price floor and prevent income erosion during such periods. These interventions are typically implemented through NAFED and state-level marketing federations.

Policy Backdrop

The Minimum Support Price mechanism has been operational since the mid-1960s, when the Agricultural Prices Commission (now the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, or CACP) was established to recommend remunerative prices for key crops. Copra has been among the commodities covered under MSP for decades.

The Market Intervention Scheme was introduced in the 1980s specifically to address price crashes in perishable crops — such as onions, potatoes, and horticultural produce — that are not covered under the regular MSP framework or face acute seasonal price volatility. Approval under MIS requires a formal request from the state government and a finding that market prices have fallen below production costs.

The Modi government has periodically extended both MSP and MIS coverage to state-specific crops, framing such decisions within the broader policy goal of doubling farmer income — a target first articulated in 2016. The PM-KISAN income-support scheme and enhanced MSP revisions have been the other pillars of this approach.

Stakeholders and Impact

The immediate beneficiaries are coconut farmers and Totapuri mango growers across Tamil Nadu. The combined procurement — copra under MSP and mangoes under MIS — is valued at over ₹1,049.16 crore, providing a significant assured offtake at government-determined prices.

For Totapuri mango growers in particular, the MIS price of ₹1,545.41 per quintal provides a reference floor against which private traders must compete, reducing the leverage of intermediaries during peak harvest season. Copra farmers benefit from the MSP guarantee, which insulates them from coconut oil price fluctuations in domestic and export markets.

What's Next

Actual procurement operations will be carried out by NAFED in coordination with Tamil Nadu's state marketing agencies during the 2026 season. The pace and completeness of physical procurement — not just the approval — will determine the real-world income impact for farmers. The CACP's upcoming recommendations for kharif and rabi crops will be closely watched to see whether MSP revisions keep pace with rising input costs across other commodities.