Monsoon has given boost to soyabean cultivation: Soya body

Soya producers are upbeat about enhanced cultivation of the crop this year, thanks to a good monsoon after a prolonged dry spell.

Buoyed by the rains, the Soyabean Processors Association Of India (SOPA) has expressed confidence that the acreage under soyabean cultivation across the country will not fall below 90 lakh hectares this kharif season.

Earlier, SOPA had expressed fears that the total area under soyabean cultivation in the country would drop by 7 per cent this year from 96.71 lakh hectares last year. However, it now said that if the monsoon remained active, this gap could be narrowed.

Due to good monsoon rainfall in MP, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, soyabean crops -- which were facing a crisis due to the prolonged dry spell -- are in good condition now, SOPA convener Rajesh Aggarwal said.

Rain has ended the anxiety of farmers engaged in cultivation in MP, who were depressed due to the prolonged dry weather, he said.

According to official figures, soyabean has been sown in an area of 51 lakh hectares so far in MP, the largest producer of the crop, against the target of 53.5 lakh hectares set by the state agriculture department.