India’s soybean production has surged by 6% this year, reaching nearly 126 lakh metric tons, thanks to favourable weather and advanced farming techniques, according to the Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA). The increase in yield comes despite the acreage remaining nearly the same as last year at 118.32 lakh hectares.
D.N. Pathak, Executive Director of SOPA, attributed the rise in productivity per hectare—from 1,002 kg last year to 1,063 kg this year—to the well-distributed monsoon rains and farmers adopting improved agricultural practices. “This time, the distribution of monsoon rains in major soybean-producing regions was good, boosting crop yields,” Pathak explained.
Madhya Pradesh, India’s largest soybean producer, saw production levels reach 55.40 lakh metric tons across 52 lakh hectares. Maharashtra followed with an estimated output of 50.17 lakh tonnes from 45 lakh hectares, while Rajasthan reported 10.53 lakh tonnes from 11.13 lakh hectares.
Despite this growth, India continues to import about 60% of its edible oil needs. Experts emphasize the importance of increasing domestic oilseed production, including soybean, to move closer to self-sufficiency in edible oil. In support of this goal, the government has raised the minimum support price (MSP) for soybean to ₹4,892 per quintal for the 2024-25 marketing season, up from ₹4,600 in the previous year.