Sopa to train MP farmers to increase soya yield

Indore-based Soyabean Processors Association of India (Sopa) will participate in the central government's integrated scheme for oilseeds, pulses, oil palm and maize (ISOPOM), which envisages enhancing yield in various states. Sopa has been selected for the soya crop in Madhya Pradesh.

During the Tenth Plan, the Centre is implementing a scheme, "Integrated scheme of oilseeds, pulses, oil palm and maize (ISOPOM)," in 14 major pulses-growing states.

Rs 240 crore under ISOPOM had been allocated for programmes for the development of oilseeds, pulses, oil palm and maize during 2005-06 and in this fiscal the target is 15.7 million tonnes of pulses. Of the Rs 1.86 crore allocated for Madhya Pradesh, the Union government, according to Sopa, has allocated Rs 36 lakh to it.

"We, along with the state government, will organise seminars, workshops, train farmers in modern cultivation practices, and seed and soil testing through mobile labs, and also utilise the money in seed development programmes," Sopa Chairman Rajesh Agrawal told Business Standard.

Sopa is expecting an output of 1,150 kg in 2006-07, against the previous year's 796 kg per hectare. "If the early monsoon augurs well for us, we expect at least a 15 per cent increase over the previous year's output," he said, adding, "ISOPOM will have encouraging results in boosting the soya output of the state."

Sopa has chalked out a programme to conduct 500 field-level demonstrations (FLDs) so that farmers can learn modern methods of soya cultivation.

"Sopa members will undertake 300 field-level demonstrations while the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) 200. And we expect the yield under this programme to touch 2 tonnes per hectare against the existing 1 tonne per hectare," Agrawal said.

Sopa has plans to hire 10 graduate and postgraduate students in agriculture for the programme, and take the services and support of the National Soya Research Centre (NSRC), Indore.

"These demonstrations will be done in seven districts in fields of one acre each. Sopa will provide seeds at a subsidised rate of Rs 4 per kg against the government's rate of 15.50 per kg," he said.

Under its seed multiplication programme, Sopa will offer high variety foundation seeds like 9305, JS 335, NRCS and PUSA varieties to at least 1,000 farmers. "Last year, we earmarked Rs 1 crore for the purpose, this year it may be increased to Rs 1.5 crore," Agrawal said.

Sopa has also corrected India's soya output for 2005-06 which was earlier estimated at 6.1 million tonnes. "We have 4,00,000 tonnes of stock from the previous year. So the output will not be less than 7 million tonnes," Agrawal said. The Rs 6,000-crore soya industry is spread over 4.4 million hectares.