New Delhi, May 28 -- The Union cabinet on Wednesday moved to bolster support for India's agricultural sector, greenlighting higher support prices for 14 kharif crops and an extension of a key interest subsidy scheme.

The cabinet backed a significant hike in the minimum support price (MSP) for pigeon pea, or tur, by Rs.450 to Rs.8,000 per quintal, alongside increases for other staples like paddy and moong. The decisions, which follow recent farmers' protests near the capital, also come ahead of a slew of assembly elections slated for this year and early next year.

Apart from paddy, the main kharif crop, others to get MSP hikes include moong, urad and cotton. The highest absolute increase was for nigerseed, followed by ragi (See chart). I...