Soybean Crop Suffers Minor Setback, New Harvest Arrival Delayed by Two Weeks

The Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) has reported that the soybean crop is doing well despite recent widespread rains in most of India's growing regions.

While the rain is beneficial, the arrival of this year's soybean crop is expected to be delayed by 10-15 days. However, SOPA does not anticipate significant damage to the crop at this point.

SOPA conducted a 10-day survey in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan and found that about 15% of the total soybean-growing area had experienced moisture stress and some crop damage due to a dry spell of 15 to 20 days. This damage was more likely in areas with light and sandy soil, affecting the normal yield because of small grain size and poor pod formation.

In addition to moisture stress, some areas in Madhya Pradesh faced insect, pest, and disease attacks due to high temperatures, potentially causing further yield loss.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, the total soybean-growing area is 125.39 lakh hectares, up from last year's 120.82 lakh hectares. After accounting for inter-cropping (which is around six percent, mainly in Maharashtra), the actual soybean-growing area is approximately 122.35 lakh hectares, as per SOPA's assessment.

Soybean crops sown between June 20 and 25, using early maturing varieties like JS.9560, JS.20-34, PS-1569, are now in the maturity stage.

However, these crops are likely to have reduced yields due to poor grain filling and small grain size. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan have all seen an increase in soybean acreage this year.

In summary, while there have been some challenges such as moisture stress and pest issues in certain regions, the overall condition of the soybean crop in India appears to be normal, and any potential yield losses are being closely monitored by SOPA.