The area under soyabean cultivation in the country will not witness any major change in the ensuing kharif season vis-a-vis the previous year.
The area under soyabean, which is grown only in the kharif season, was around 9.3 million hectares in the 2010-11 crop year (July-June), according to the Soybean Processors Association (SOPA).
Madhya Pradesh is the largest producing state, with a soyabean acreage of 5.51 million hectares in 2010-11.
“We do not expect any major change in the sowing area of soyabean this year. Any change if at all would be 1-2 per cent,” the SOPA spokesman, Mr Rajesh Aggarwal, told PTI.
Farmers in Maharashtra could shift to cotton crop due to more market gains, but that deficit would be filled by increased sowing in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, he added.
Maharashtra had sown soyabean over 2.6 million hectares in 2010-11, while Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka had sown the crop in 1.4 million hectares and 1.8 million hectares, respectively, in the same period.
On the arrival of the monsoon, Mr Aggarwal said that farmers have started preparing their fields and a good downpour in the middle of June and then 2-3 inches of rain every second week would ensure a good crop.
According to the third advance estimates of the Agriculture Ministry, soyabean production stood at a record 12.58 million tonnes in the 2010-11 crop year.
As per SOPA, the estimated national production of soyabean in the 2010-11 season would be 10.12 mt.