Soyabean acreage this year is up as farmers in the major producing states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have brought a large area under the oilseed crop in the current kharif cropping season, according to both Government and industry estimates.

However, the Soyabean Processors’ Association of India (SOPA), the apex trade body, has pegged the total acreage for the kharif 2023 season at 122.39 lakh hectares, a bit lower than the Agriculture Ministry’s estimate of 124.11 lakh ha.

According to the Government’s estimates, soyabean acreage in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka are higher than SOPA’s estimates. The industry body has pegged acreage in Rajasthan higher than the Government’s estimates.

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SOPA has pegged the kharif 2023 soyabean acreage in Madhya Pradesh at 53.13 lakh ha (50.66 in kharif 2022) , Maharashtra at 48.54 lakh ha (43.46 lakh ha) and Rajasthan at 11.43 lakh ha (10.34 lakh ha).

According to the Government’s estimates, this year’s soyabean acreage in Madhya Pradesh is at 54.13 lakh ha (50.18 lakh ha), Maharashtra at 49.2 lakh ha (49.08 lakh ha) and Rajasthan at 10.34 lakh ha (11.51 lakh ha).

The increase in soyabean acreage in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra is contrary to expectations at the beginning of the cropping season, that farmers would switch to crops such as cotton and pulses. The early rains brought about by Cyclone Biparjoy in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, have also helped early sowing this year.

SOPA had estimated production at 124.11 lakh tonnes during the 2023 kharif season, up from the previous year’s 118.89 lakh tonnes. In the third advance estimates, the Government has placed soyabean output at a record 149.76 lakh tonnes, over the previous year’s 129.87 lakh tonnes.

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