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Informist, Thursday, Jul. 9, 2026

 

MUMBAI – The area under soybean in the current kharif season has been estimated at 10.03 million hectares, covering about 80% to 90% of the target area across major growing states, the Soybean Processors Association of India said in a release Thursday. These figures are based on a rapid survey conducted by the association.

 

The sowing area figures by the association, which are as on Wednesday, are higher than those released by the government because "government data generally has a reporting lag of 7–10 days, which is the primary reason why the official figures are lower than our estimates," it said. The government has estimated that 5.7 million hectares have been covered under soybean so far.

 

"Due to the delayed onset of the southwest monsoon, soybean sowing commenced later than last year. We expect the entire soybean area in the country to be covered by 15 July 2026, provided weather conditions remain favourable," SOPA Executive Director D.N. Pathak said in the release.

 

Overall, the soybean crop is in normal to satisfactory condition across major growing regions and is currently in the vegetative stage. Farmers are undertaking weed management operations using both herbicides and manual methods, including kolpa and dora, depending on local field conditions, SOPA said.

 

The survey covered the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat, among others.

 

In Madhya Pradesh, with adequate rainfall across most parts, sowing has gained significant momentum and almost 90% of the area has been covered. In Rajasthan, soybean sowing has been completed in about 90% of the targeted area. In Maharashtra, soybean sowing has reached about 80–90% of the targeted area. Around 1–2% of the sown area has reportedly been re-sown due to poor or failed germination in some locations following uneven rainfall.

 

Based on the survey, SOPA believes the total soybean acreage during the 2026 kharif season is likely to exceed last year's level. "A significant number of farmers who had shifted to maize during the previous season have returned to soybean cultivation, encouraged by favourable soybean prices," it said.

 

"While the overall crop condition is currently satisfactory, the final production outlook will depend on the timely distribution and adequacy of rainfall during the remaining three months of the growing season. If weather conditions remain favourable, the crop has the potential to achieve good productivity and deliver a higher harvest than the previous season," the association said in the release.  End  

 

Reported by Abhijit Doshi

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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