Soyabean acreage edges up, but yield a worry

The area under soyabean, a key Kharif oilseed, may have risen in comparison to last year, but whether it translates to a higher yield is questionable.

As of August 21, Agriculture Ministry data shows that soyabean has been planted on about 11.3 million hectare (mh) – higher than the 10.9 mh under the crop at the same time in 2014-15.

An erratic monsoon over parts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh (MP), which account for 50-60 per cent of soyabean output, could hurt crop productivity and prompt a rise in soya oil imports.

“Major growing areas like Marathwada, North Karnataka and Telangana have had deficit rainfall. The crop needs rain for flowering through August and September without which yield will be lower,” said BV Mehta, Executive Director, Solvent Extractors’ Association of India.

A vigorous El Nino has impacted the South-West monsoon and rainfall between June 1 and August 19 was deficient by 9 per cent, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Regions such as Marathwada, have received less than 46 per cent of normal rainfall while Central MP has a 36 per cent deficit. Telangana and North interior Karnataka have recorded deficient rainfall by 23 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively.

“Inclement weather will impact productivity. Certain parts of MP began with dry weather after which excess rain inundated fields and damaged the sown crop. The pod count may not be up to its potential,” said Davish Jain, Chairman, Soyabean Processors’ Association of India.

Mehta pointed out that the current sowing data should be compared with 2013-14 figures, a normal agricultural year. “Compared to then, acreage for this year is lower so the numbers can be misleading,” he warned.

Acreage at this time in 2013-14 stood at 12.1 mh, nearly 1 mh higher than the August 21 figures which estimated area under soyabean in MP at 5.8 mh, marginally higher than 5.69 mh last year but lower than 6.4 mh in 2013-14.

In Maharashtra, acreage is pegged at 3.51 mh, lower than both last year (3.56 mh) and the year before (3.9 mh). Rajasthan recorded an increase in area by 0.3 mh over last year, while Karnataka has also reported a marginal rise.