Which crop enjoys the widest margin over the all-India weighted average cost of production under the rabi MSP for 2027-28?

The correct answer is wheat. The expected return over the all-India weighted average cost of production works out to 106 per cent for wheat, the highest among the six mandated rabi crops of the season. Option B, safflower, is wrong because safflower sits at the bottom of this list with a margin of 50 per cent, even though it drew the largest absolute rise in rupee terms. Option C, lentil or masur, is wrong because its margin is 92 per cent, below that of wheat and also below rapeseed and mustard at 96 per cent. Option D, gram, is wrong because gram carries a margin of 59 per cent, only a little above barley at 58 per cent. The margin is measured against a cost that includes hired labour, rent on leased land, seed, fertiliser, irrigation charges, depreciation, interest on working capital and the imputed value of family labour.