Area under soybean cultivation shrinks on-year owing to rain impact, shift to other crops

The area under soybean cultivation this year, according to the Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA), is less than last year by 3.110 lakh hectares (2.63%) due to shift to other crops and no sowing due to continuous rains during the sowing window.

In a release issued by SOPA, it said that around 70% of the surveyed soybean area is at the flowering stage and crop condition is generally normal across the surveyed areas. In the state of Maharashtra districts like Jalna, Buldhana, Beed, Latur, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani have healthy crop condition and normal vegetative growth while parts of Washim, Akola, Hingoli, and Amravati have witnessed delayed sowing/re-sowing and shorter plant height due to delayed development.

In the state of Madhya Pradesh, the overall crop condition is normal with around 70 per cent of the crop in the flowering stage.

The districts of Pratapgarh, Chittorgarh and Baran in Rajasthan have an average crop condition and 70% area in flowering stage. The districts of Jhalawar and Kota have been adversely affected by excessive rainfall and water logging.

The soybean crop condition is generally satisfactory, especially in Maharashtra and parts of Madhya Pradesh. However, excessive rainfall has led to unsown areas, delayed growth, and water logging in parts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Continued field monitoring and timely crop management practices are essential to support the crop through the remaining stages of growth.