Soybean, groundnut output to be less than last year

Sopa, an Indore-based trade body, has forecast India's overall output at 10.44 mn tonne against 9.48 mn tonne of previous year

Soybean output in India is likely to rise by about 10 per cent this year, due to favourable weather conditions.

A survey by The Soybean Processors' Association (Sopa), the Indore-based apex trade body, has forecast India's overall output at 10.44 million tonnes, as compared to 9.48 mt the previous year. The record so far has been 12.19 mt in 2012.

The survey was conducted in the three major producing states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. These account for 90 per cent of overall annual production. Davish Jain, the chairman of Sopa, believes the yield would average at 959 kg a hectare in 2014, compared with 788 kg a ha the previous year. It was 1,139 kg a ha in 2012.  As for groundnut, the Indian Oilseeds and Produce Export Promotion Council (IOPEC) has projected output at 4.33 mt this year as compared to 5.16 mt last year. Kishore Tanna, its chairman, said deficient monsoon rainfall had impacted sowing, estimated at 3.26 mn ha in 2014 versus 3.64 mn ha in 2013.

Groundnut export in 2014-15 is expected to cross 600,000 tonnes, in comparison with 512,000 tonnes last year, said Tanna. These had risen by 40 per cent in the first half of this financial year, to 221,000 tonnes.  Sesame seed, however, should see much more output this year, said Tanna. IOPEPC estimates it to rise 143 per cent to 476,891 tonnes, from 196,180 tonnes last year.

Its export is also expected to fare much better. India exported 257,000 tonnes of sesame seeds last year.