MP farmers change soy seed over low yield

Rattled by years of low yield and frequent pest attacks, farmers in Madhya Pradesh, India's largest soy growing state, are slowly discarding the time-tested JS-335 seed and shifting to the more hybrid JS-9305 variety.

JS-335 seed has been used for soy cultivation in the state since the last 10-12 years, farm experts said Tuesday.

"More and more farmers in Madhya Pradesh, India's main soybean growing state, are looking to change the seed variety this time and would sow JSS-9305 to get better yield," a senior soybean scientist said.

Both JS-335 and JS-9305 varieties have been developed by the scientists of Jabalpur-based Jawaharlal Nehru Agriculture University. The acronym 'JS' stands for the name of the university.

Agriculture experts and scientists said that with per-hectare soybean production showing a marginal rise in the last 20 years, farmers have been forced to change the seed variety.

"When soy cultivation first started in Madhya Pradesh around late 70s, the per-hectare yield was around 700 kilogram, and now it is hardly 800 kg per hectare, a growth of 100 kg in 25 years, and one main reason for such low yield is usage of non-hybrid seeds," the scientist said.

India's per hectare soybean production of 700-800 kilogram per hectare is way below world average of around 2,000-2,500 kg.

With such low yields, total soybean production in the country hovers around 5.7-6.2 million tonnes annually, whereas countries like Brazil and Argentina get an annual yield of around 45-55 million tonnes.

However, some scientists said that one reason for such wide disparity in soy production between India and other nations is that in many countries the use of genetically modified high-yielding seeds is allowed, whereas the usage of GM soy seeds is banned in India.

JS-9305, the new soy seed variety, gives more yield than the conventionally used JS-335, is more pest-resistant and the oil content in it is also higher than other varieties.

JS-9305 gives oil content of 16%-18%, while in other varieties it is hardly 14%-15%.

"This year, more farmers are asking for JS-9305, as the crop is hard and guarantees good yield even in poor rainfall," said Sunil S Chauhan, seed production officer, Eagle Seeds Ltd.

"Due to low seed replacement ratio of around 10%-12%, over the years, JS-335 soy seed has lost its resistance to diseases and pests so much that the crop withers away very easily," said Sunil Jain, seed production officer, G P Agro, a local seed manufacturer.

Jain was hopeful that with extensive usage of the new seed variety, soy farmers in Madhya Pradesh would get better yields this year.

Most agriculture experts and scientists complain that although many high-yielding seed varieties are available, in many places, farmers are not willing to use them due to fear of crop failure.

"The farming community in Madhya Pradesh is mostly illiterate and reluctant to change, which is the main reason why modern farm practices have not been successful in the state," said Chauhan of Eagle Seed.

Citing the example of soybean farmers in neighbouring Maharashtra, R. C. Donge, general manager, Jayvin Seed Sales Corp., said per-hectare soybean production there was around 1,100-1,200 kg while in Madhya Pradesh it was hardly 700-800 kg.

Donge said, over a period of time, Madhya Pradesh farmers have realised that if they sow JS-335 seeds in their fields again this year, the crop output could be very poor and are hence, are slowly turning to more hybrid varieties.

Madhya Pradesh produces around 3.4-3.5 million tonnes of soybean annually. The crop is sown on around 4.4 million hectares of land.