Soyabean production may fall 4% to 86.42 lakh tonnes this year

Soyabean production is estimated to fall by 4 per cent to 86.42 lakh tonnes in the kharif season of this year on lower productivity, according to industry body SOPA.
Production of soyabean, which is a kharif crop, stood at 90 lakh tonnes in the previous year.
According to a satellite survey conducted by the Soyabean Processors Association of India (SOPA), the area under soyabean cultivation is 110.65 lakh hectare, which is 5.62 lakh hectare less than the government's figure.
The association pegged soyabean production during kharif 2015 at 86.42 lakh tonnes, down 3.57 lakh tonnes from previous year's 90 lakh tonnes.

Although soyabean acreage has increased to 110.65 lakh hectares this kharif season (summer-sown) from 108.83 lakh hectares during last kharif, the production is estimated to drop 4 per cent as productivity is expected to decline to 781 kg per hectare from 827 kg per hectare in kharif 2014.
State-wise, the production of soyabean in Madhya Pradesh is estimated to decline to 44 lakh tonnes from 51.60 lakh tonnes in the previous year.

SOPA's Executive Committee Member Rajesh Agrawal said that production in Madhya Pradesh is likely to fall due to "erratic rains" in the state.
"Initially, there were no rains and there was excess rain during seed formation in the soyabean crop. This will have an adverse impact on the crop productivity," he added.

However, soyabean output in Maharashtra is projected to rise to 27.83 lakh tonnes from 24 lakh tonnes in the last season. In Rajasthan too, production is estimated to increase to 9.29 lakh tonnes from 6.63 lakh tonnes in the previous year.
The projection of lower soyabean production could lead to fall in domestic supply of edible oils and consequent rise in imports.
Last month, the government hiked import duty on edible oil by 5 per cent in a bid to safeguard the domestic industry.
Duty on crude edible oil has been increased from 7.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent and on refined edible oil from 15 per cent to 20 per cent.

Edible oil imports are likely to increase to 14 million tonnes in the 2014-15 oil year (November to October) from 11.6 million tonnes in the previous year. The country imports about 60 per cent of the total requirement of edible oils.