Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, 25 June 2026, and handed over approval letters for fresh rural housing sanctions and an extended minimum support price procurement window to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, delivering what he described as a 'saugaat' (gift) for the state's farmers and poor families.

Context

Posting on X, Chouhan wrote: 'Aaj main Uttar Pradesh ki punya bhoomi par aaya hoon aur apne saath rajya ke kisan bhai-behno tatha garib parivaron ke liye saugaat laya hoon' — ('Today I have come to the sacred land of Uttar Pradesh and have brought with me gifts for the farmer brothers and sisters and poor families of the state'). He said the approval letters were formally handed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the visit.

The minister announced that the central government, acting on a request from the Uttar Pradesh state government, has extended the MSP procurement window for gram (chana), lentil (masoor), and mustard (sarson) by 15 days. Farmers in the state can now sell their produce at the minimum support price from 24 June to 8 July 2026.

Policy Backdrop

MSP procurement for rabi crops — including gram, lentil, and mustard — is conducted annually through central nodal agencies in coordination with state governments. Extensions to the procurement window are granted at the state's request when farmers need additional time to bring their produce to market, often due to logistical or weather-related delays.

On the housing front, Chouhan announced the sanction of 6 lakh 18 thousand 482 new houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) for Uttar Pradesh. PMAY-G, launched in 2016, is the central government's flagship rural housing scheme that provides financial assistance to eligible rural households for constructing permanent (pucca) homes. The scheme originally targeted the completion of 2.95 crore rural houses nationally.

Uttar Pradesh, as India's most populous state and a major producer of pulses and oilseeds, routinely accounts for a significant share of both national MSP procurement volumes and rural housing sanctions under centrally sponsored schemes.

Stakeholders and Impact

The MSP window extension directly benefits small and marginal farmers in Uttar Pradesh who grow gram, lentil, and mustard — three key rabi crops — and may not have been able to sell their output before the original deadline. The additional 15 days of price-protected selling time is intended to prevent distress sales below the support price.

The fresh sanction of over 6.18 lakh PMAY-G houses targets rural families that have been waiting for permanent housing. Each sanctioned household receives central financial assistance to build a pucca dwelling, with Uttar Pradesh's large rural population making it one of the scheme's largest beneficiary states.

What's Next

The immediate measure to watch is actual procurement volumes during the extended window, which closes on 8 July 2026 — whether farmers in Uttar Pradesh are able to utilise the additional fortnight to sell gram, lentil, and mustard at MSP. On the housing side, the pace at which the newly sanctioned 6,18,482 houses move from approval to construction and eventual completion will determine the on-ground impact of Thursday's announcement. Both measures reflect the ongoing central-state coordination that characterises welfare delivery in India's largest state ahead of the agricultural off-season.