Monsoon pains: Soybean farmers in Madhya Pradesh are a worried lot

State agriculture dept set target of soybean cultivation over 54.57 lakh hectares this kharif season

Farmers who have sown soybean in Madhya Pradesh, the biggest producer of the oilseed in India, are now worried as the rainfall so far is scanty.

Director of the city-based Indian Institute of Soybean Research V S Bhatia said the areas in the state where soybean has been sown haven't received much rainfall.

The condition of the crop is worrisome, he said.

Some farmers are still waiting for a good spell of showers to sow the crop, he said.

Farmers are staring at the prospect of repeat-sowing.

"If it doesn't rain in the next 2-3 days, the soybean I have sown is going to be ruined. I will have no option then but to sow again," said Mangilal Patel, a farmer from Deepalpur in Indore district.

The state agriculture department has set a target of soybean cultivation over 54.57 lakh hectares this kharif season, an official said.

Last kharif, soybean was grown over 54.01 lakh hectares in the state.