Continuous rainfall in some areas coupled with more earnings that can be derived from ethanol has encouraged farmers to sow more maize than soybean, said a report by the Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA).
In the current kharif season, the area under soybean cultivation shrunk by around three lakh hectares, from 118.32 lakh hectares to 115 lakh hectares, SOPA said in its estimate, which is a part of the survey based on the current status of the crop as of August 13.
The report listed the area under soybean in Madhya Pradesh to be 48.64 lakh hectares; that in Maharashtra to be 48.20 lakh hectares; in Rajasthan to be about nine lakh hectares; in Karnataka to have been 4.22 lakh hectares; in Gujarat, to be 2.73 lakh hectares; in Telangana, 1.42 lakh hectares; in Chhattisgarh, around 13,500 hectares, while other states constitute around 79,000 hectares.
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“In some key soybean-producing areas, several farmers preferred maize this time, while continuous rainfall in some other areas prevented soybean sowing. This directly impacted the acreage,” said SOPA executive director, D N Pathak.
India has ramped-up its ethanol production, for which it mainly uses maize, rice, and bamboo. It also produces a byproduct, called Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), which is used as feed for cattle, pigs, and poultry.
Pathak said the overall condition of the soybean crop in the country is currently normal, though yields will depend on weather conditions over the next 60 days.
The Centre has fixed the minimum support price (MSP) of soybean at ₹5,328 per quintal for the 2025-26 kharif marketing season, up by ₹436 from ₹4,892 per quintal last season.
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