Soybean Cultivation Drops in Maharashtra: Farmers Face Low Returns

Mumbai, May 25 (PTI) The area under soybean cultivation in Maharashtra is expected to drop by two lakh hectares due to poor returns on the produce last year, agriculture department officials said on Sunday.
While soybean is considered one of the assured cash crops when it comes to higher returns, external factors like import of soybean cake as fodder and the government's reluctance to purchase have been dampeners, farmers claimed.
Other factors include losses caused by irregular rainfall, delay in procurement by the government at minimum support price (MSP), all of which have resulted in low earnings, triggering subdued interest in soybean cultivation this year, they added.
"Last year, soybean cultivation was on 52 lakh hectares in the state. This time we estimate this to come down to 50 lakh hectares, a drop of two lakh hectares," an official said.
"Soybean attracted a rate of Rs 3900 to Rs 4400 per quintal when the Union government announced MSP of Rs 4892 per quintal. Everybody knows the government cannot buy the entire soybean crop, and traders misuse this situation. The rates mentioned above are the actual earnings. Discouraged by last year's trends, the soybean cultivation has taken a hit," said Ahilyanagar farmer Shrinivas Kadlag.
He also claimed poultry farmers always put up a united front and maintain pressure to keep soybean rates in check.
It may be noted that in 2021-22, when soybean was attracting good rates in the market because of increased demand, the All India Poultry Association sought permission from the Union government to import soybean-based fodder for poultry, which resulted in rates crashing.
"What sugarcane is to western Maharashtra, soybean is to farmers in Marathwada. However, the Union government's changing decisions on import of soybean and allied products bring about fluctuations in the domestic prices. Farmers suffer because of this," explained Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Manik Kadam.
"The cultivation increased in the Kharif season of 2024 but the produce failed to fetch good prices in the market, and the Centre did not buy the produce or offer financial assistance to distressed farmers. This could have influenced the decision of farmers to diversify to other crops," he added.
As per figures of the state agriculture department, Maharashtra has planned crop sowing on an area totalling 144.97 lakh hectares, including cereals, pulses, oilseeds and cotton.
While 19.14 lakh quintals of seeds are required, 25.08 lakh quintals are currently available. For soybean specifically, 13.25 lakh quintals of seeds are needed, and 17.15 lakh quintals are in stock.
Despite the anticipated drop in soybean cultivation area, officials have assured farmers both seeds and fertilisers are available in adequate quantities.
The state has received approval for total fertiliser quota of 46.82 lakh metric tonnes, while 25.57 lakh tonnes remain in stock, officials said, adding that fertiliser usage stood at 44.30 lakh tonnes in the previous Kharif season.
The government has also aimed for food grain and oilseed production target of 204.21 lakh tonnes this season and efforts have been made to ensure steady supply of high-quality inputs, they said.
"There are ample seed reserves for key crops including soybean, rice, tur, moong and urad. Seed samples will be inspected to maintain quality standards," said Sunil Borkar, Director of Quality Control.
For cotton cultivation, the target remains at 41 lakh hectares, the same as last year, with 1.22 lakh quintals of seeds available against a requirement of 82,000 quintals, as per officials.
Rice cultivation is projected to cover 15.25 lakh hectares, with 2.92 lakh quintals of seed available, well above the required 2.19 lakh quintals, they informed.