Summer soyabean crop gains ground in state

Exceptionally high price of oilseed had seen farmers in Maharashtra going aggressively for soyabean. The state had reported more than 45 lakh hectares of soyabean, a high for the state. Even though the state has seen medium to good harvest of the crop, farmers are holding on to their crop. At present, the average trading price of oilseed is around Rs 6,300-6,400/quintal in most wholesale markets.

Last year, the state agriculture department took up the project of summer soyabean to help farmers prepare their own seed. Under the scheme, farmers sowed the crop post harvest of their rabi chana crop mostly by mid-February and the crop was harvested in May just before the main kharif sowing starts. Being an open pollinated variety crop, farmers can reuse their seeds for the next crop.

Data from the department of agriculture shows that almost the entire state has reported sowing of summer soyabean. The largest area is from the traditional hubs of Latur and Aurangabad where farmers have taken the crop over 14,000 and 13,879 hectares respectively. Even the cane belt of Kolhapur and PUne has seen farmers taking the crop over 3,155 and 2,816 hectares respectively.

For the last three years, soyabean has fetched better than the government declared Minimum Support Price (MSP) rates. Last year, soyabean rates crossed Rs 10,000/quintal mark, a historic high rate for the oilseed. Intense intervention by the government by way of allowing import of soyameal — the protein rich solid left after the oil is expelled from the seed — for the first time in the country, and also by introducing stock limit both on the oil seed and the meal have also not brought down the prices.

Farmers take the summer crop mainly to produce seed for the next kharif crop or to sell during the off season in June-July. Continued high prices have ensured farmers keep positive about the crop in regards to price and acreage.