Soybean cultivation in Gujarat doubles in five years, spreads to cotton and groundnut-growing areas

In the ongoing Kharif season 2024, Gujarat has seen a record sowing of soybean. Farmers have sown the protein-rich legume on close to three lakh hectares, which is double the area sown in the last five years since 2020.

Though Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra continue to account for a lion’s share of soybean cultivation (53 lakh hectares and 50 lakh hectares respectively) in India, the growth seen in Gujarat - with a smaller base - is much higher. For instance, in the last five years, the soybean sowing in Madhya Pradesh has reduced from 58 lakh hectares to 53 lakh hectares, while that of Maharashtra has risen from 42 lakh hectares to 50 lakh hectares.

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Gujarat government officials said that the soybean crop, which was earlier restricted to some tribal areas of the State, is fast making inroads, especially in the Saurashtra region, known for growing high quantities of groundnut and cotton.

Compared with the 1.48 lakh hectares of soybean sown in 2020, the acreage rose to 2.66 lakh hectares during Kharif 2023. This year it has almost touched 3 lakh hectares. This rise is attributed to the growing demand for soybean products and the remuneration earned by the farmers. “Farmers are finding growing soybeans more profitable. So the acreages have been steadily rising in the State. Earlier, the crop was largely restricted to the tribal districts in and around Dahod and Chotta Udepur. Now, it is spreading toward Saurashtra and the South Gujarat region,” said SJ Solanki, Director of Agriculture, Government of Gujarat.

Junagadh takes top slot

Interestingly, it is Junagadh district that has the highest sowing (58,300 hectares), while Saurashtra region is leading the sowing with 143,300 hectares. Predominantly tribal districts like Aravali (40,000 hectares), Dahod (33,500 hectares) and Chotta Udepur (21,000 hectares) also saw higher soybean sowing.

Farmers say that soybean is cheaper to cultivate compared to traditional cash crops like cotton and groundnut. “Compared to cotton and groundnut, soybean cultivation is much cheaper and less labour-intensive. Secondly, Blue Bulls and pigs avoid it, so the crop is saved from their menace. So, we are seeing a lot of farmers in our village taking up soybean cultivation,” said Khem Mahmud, a farmer from Junagadh district of Gujarat.

This Kharif season, soybean has been sown on 125 lakh hectares in India, which is slightly higher compared to the 123 lakh hectares in 2023.