With the monsoon playing truant, prices of certified soyabean seeds have gone up by around a third to Rs 70 per kg in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, the country’s main soyabean growing states.
Hailstorms that occurred early this year in Maharashtra damaged soyabean like all the other crops as a result of which there is a reduced availability of seeds for sowing. However, this should not impact the acreage in the coming season, said Rajesh Aggrawal, spokesperson for the Soyabean Processors Association of India (SOPA).
The state is facing a soybean seed crunch for the coming kharif season to the tune of 200,000 tonnes, according to estimates given by state government officials.The agriculture ministry has pegged the shortage of certified and quality soyabean seeds at 69,616 tonnes across the country. The total requirement of soyabean seeds for kharif is pegged at 3.43 lakh tonnes, whereas the availability is estimated at 2.73 lakh tonnes.
?There is a concern about the sowing seed quality this year. There is a shortage and a huge demand for it,? Aggarwal said. Last year, the prices of the seeds were around 50 per kg. Soyabean was planted on some 12.03 million hectares. Aggarwal said that domestic soybean output in 2013/14 (October-September) is estimated at 12 million tonnes by SOPA.
Maharashtra, which is the country’s second-largest soyabean growing state, contributes 35-40% of the total output nationally. Soyabean is planted on nearly 28 lakh hectares in the state.
?Every year there is an apprehension about the monsoons. This time, too, we will wait and watch. Around 3-4 inches of rain is required for sowing operations. There is time until June 25 for sowing operations and we will have to wait and watch the situation. However, I do not expect acreage to be a concern this year,? Aggrawal said. Around 80-85% of the growers use seeds retained by them from last year?s crop for sowing.
However, according to senior officials, this could be a concern since farmers have not been storing the seeds from last year’s crop. Soybean is a kharif crop (sown in June-July and harvested in September-November) and is dependent on monsoon rains. The soybean season runs from October to September. Processed soybean is the largest source of protein feed and a major source of vegetable oil.
Soybean meal, which is extracted from soybean, is an important source of poultry and animal feed. Higher prices and a lower crop will impact the poultry sector.
The country exports about 2 million tonnes of soybean meal annually and ranks among top five exporters of the meal. India primarily exports to Southeast Asia and Europe.
The government has estimated soyabean output for 2013-14 at 11.94 million tonnes, lower than previous year?s 14.66 million tonnes. Prices are currently ruling at a high between Rs 4,200 and Rs 4,500 a quintal in markets such as Nagpur, Indore and Kota.