LUCKNOW, April 1 -- Uttar Pradesh agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi on Tuesday said farmers would continue to benefit from the minimum support price (MSP) in the 2026-27 Rabi marketing season, asserting that transparency and direct payments remain the government's priority. Addressing media persons at Lok Bhawan, Shahi announced that procurement of gram, lentil and mustard would be carried out from April 7 to June 30 under an extensive, digitally monitored system. Payments will be made directly to farmers' Aadhaar-linked bank accounts through DBT, ensuring speed and transparency, he added. He said the MSP had been fixed at Rs.5,875 per quintal for gram, Rs.7,000 for lentil, Rs.6,200 for mustard and Rs.8,000 for arhar, with increases of up to Rs.300 per quintal over last year. The state has set procurement targets of 2.24 lakh metric tonnes for gram, 6.77 lakh metric tonnes for lentil and 5.30 lakh metric tonnes for mustard. Highlighting the use of Aadhaar-enabled PoS machines at procurement centres, Shahi said the system would ensure that only genuine farmers benefit. Central agencies such as NAFED and NCCF, along with state agencies, will coordinate the procurement. The minister also cited record spending of over Rs.5,700 crore on agriculture schemes in 2025-26 and large-scale seed distribution benefiting over 24 lakh farmers. Ruling out any shortage, he said adequate fertiliser stocks - over 25 lakh metric tonnes - are available across all districts. Shahi urged farmers to complete their Farmer Registry by May 15 to access government schemes....