India’s soybean output is likely to rise 10 per cent this year, despite reports of pest attack in the early crops in Maharashtra and lower yield in about one-fourth of the acreage, where late monsoon delayed sowing.
Thanks to the revival in monsoon and the timely pest control, the industry estimates the total crop size this season to hit a record high of 11 million tonnes as against 9.986 million tonnes in 2007-08 and 8.85 million tonnes in 2006-07.
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As on August 22, the area under soybean has risen 8.38 per cent or 728,000 hectares (ha) to 9.4 million ha this year against 8.68 million ha around the same time last year.
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According to an official with the Soybean Processors’ Association (SOPA), ‘semi-looper caterpillar’, a deadly pest, attacked the early soybean crop and spread into approximately 35,000 ha in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. The attack was reported as intense in about 4,000-5,000 ha. This resulted in a considerable loss of sprouts. But, early action by the local farmers and representative bodies, helped control the attack.
Maharashtra produces about 30 per cent of the country’s total crop, second only after Madhya Pradesh, which grows 55 per cent of soybean crop.
Maharashtra was reeling under a drought-like situation due the lack of rainfall at the start of the sowing season. Sowing was delayed in the state by a fortnight and the season was stretched up to the fourth week of July, against the usual season of the second week of the month.
According to the SOPA official, the premier soybean body has deployed its own officials to help educate farmers about the pesticide spray time and methods for better yield. SOPA has also engaged Excel Group, one of the leading pesticide manufacturers, to protect the crop from further attacks.
Apparently, heavy rainfalls have been reported in almost the whole of Madhya Pradesh in the last 3-4 days, which is expected to increase yield in this region. The plants are currently in the pudding and flowering stages and therefore, rains at this time would help them.
Elsewhere in Maharashtra, intermittent rains have been reported, which is likely to compensate the yield against the loss in Chandrapur, the official said. However, soybean yield is estimated to remain low at 1,070 kg per ha as against 1,124 kg per ha last year.
“But, much would depend on the climate in September. Some showers earlier in the month would settle the output higher,” an industry expert said.
Approximately 25 per cent of the total area of 9.3 million hectares (ha) received below-normal rainfall in the beginning of the season. Therefore, farmers continued sowing with the extension of monsoon, mainly in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh.
This is significant as India continues to suffer from the high global prices of vegetable oil due to its high imports. The country imports 6.5 million tonnes, about 55 per cent of its total consumption, to meet the growing demand.
In Madhya Pradesh, the total area of 5.14 million ha were covered against the target of 4.86 million ha.
In Maharashtra, 2.87 million ha were covered under soybean this kharif season against an area of 2.60 million ha in the corresponding period last year.